Plant Conservation in Lithuania

Number of Nationally Threatened Species

Plant Group	Ex	E	V	R	I	Rs	Total Red-listed
Vascular plants	14	55	54	71	33	11	238
Bryophytes	1	19	16	24	41	0	101
Lichens	13	23	14	8	7	0	65
Algae	5	9	1	1	2	0	18
Fungi	6	22	24	39	43	0	134
Totals	39	128	109	143	126	11	556

Ex=extinct and probably extinct; E=Endangered; V=Vulnerable; R=Rare; I=Indeterminate; Rs=Restored

National Red Data Books

Lietuvos raudonoji knyga [The Red Data Book of Lithuania]. K. Balevicius & A. Ladyga. 1992. Pp. 364. Lithuanian Department of Environmental Conservancy, Vilnius.

Lietuvos raudonoji knyga. Augalu bendrijos [Red data book of Lithuania. Plant communities]. Ju¯rate Baleviciene, Ausrys Balevicius, Onute Grigaite, Daiva Patalauskaite, Valerijus Rasomavicius, Zofija Sinkeviciene, Jolanta Stankeviciu¯te. 2000. Pp. 153. Institute of Botany, Pedagogical University of Vilnius. Publishing Office of Institute of Botany, Vilnius.

Raudoni lapai [Red sheets] . The yearly issue of Republic of Lithuania Red Book Commission (Ministry of Environment). 1993– . Lithuanian Department of Environmental Conservancy, Vilnius.

Red Data Book of the Baltic Region. Part 1. T. Ingelög, R. Anderson & M. Tjernberg (Eds), 1993. Swedish Threatened Species Unit, Uppsala, Sweden. Includes threatened vascular plants from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Denmark.

Rare and threatened bryophyte species in Lithuania. I. Jukoniene. 1996. Bot. Lithuanica 2: 327–341. Covers 1 (out of 3) hornworts, 32 (out of 109) liverworts and 52 mosses.

Act of Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.

Floras

Lietuvos TSR flora [Flora of Lithuania] Vol. 1–6. 1959–1980. Institute of Biology. Public Publishing Office of political and scientific literature. Vilnius.

Lietuvos induociai augalai [Vascular plants of Lithuania]. Gudzinskas Zigmantas. 1999. Pp. 211. Publishing Office of Institute of Botany.

Kerpes [Lichens]. Motieju¯naite Jurga. 2002. Pp. 48. Lutute, Kaunas.

Sporiniai induociai kaip augalu bendriju komponentai [Pteridophytes as components of plant communities]. Jonas Naujalis. 1995. Pp. 295. Baltic ECO, Vilnius.

Vadovas Lietuvos kerpsamanems pazinti [Identification handbook for liverworts in Lithuania]. J. Naujalis, N. Kalinauskaite, M. Grineviciene. 1995. Pp. 243. Zodynas, Vilnius.

Flora of the Baltic Countries. Compendium of Vascular Plants. 2. V. Kuusk, L. Tabaka & R. Jankeviciene (Eds). Pp. 372. 1996. Estonian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology and Botany, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biology. Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany. Eesti Loodusfoto, Tartu.

Lietuvos dendroflora: monografija [The Dendroflora of Lithuania]. M. Navasaitis, R. Ozolincius, D. Smaliukas, J. Baleviciene. 2003. Pp. 575. Lithuanian Forest Institute, Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Pedagogical University of Vilnius. Lutute, Kaunas.

Lietuvos kiminai ir zaliosios samanos [Mosses of Lithuania]. Ilona Jukoniene. 2003. Pp. 402. Publishing Office of Institute of Botany, Vilnius.

Europines svarbos buveines Lietuvoje [European significance habitats in Lithuania]. V. Rasomavicius, Z. Sinkeviciene, A. Balsevicius, R. Ciuplys, D. Patalauskaite, S. Olenin & D. Daunys. 2001. Pp. 138. Daigai, Vilnius.

Lietuvos grybai [Mycota Lithuaniae]. A. Minkevicius (ed.). 1991–2003. 14 vols. Mokslo ir enciklopediju leidykla, Vilnius.

Vegetation

Natural ecosystems are rather damaged in the man-made landscape of Lithuania. Semi-natural vegetation covers only a third of territory. Human action has caused irreversible change, for example from conversion into farmland, and has permitted introduced alien plants to penetrate natural habitats. Lithuania is both in the boreal conifer and the broadleaved forest belt. Therefore in a relatively small territory are found southern taiga and floristic and phytocenotic complexes of nemoral species. Large phytogeographical subdivisions cross Lithuania: the border of Carpinus betulus divides the broadleaved zone in the south from the conifer zone in the north. Mixed conifer and broadleaved forests occupy small areas, but due to economic activity their natural succession has been degraded. Today forests cover 30.3% of the country. In the forests are almost half of the flora species, 59 of them in the Lithuanian Red Book (LRB). Swamp communities survived undamaged until recently, but during the last 30 years 70% of them have been lost and they now cover only 3% of the land. Of the 264 plant species recorded from these habitats, 39 of them are in the LRB. Some 550 plant species occur in grasslands, 42 of them in the LRB. 167 species are found in sand communities, 9 of them in the LRB. 150 plant species are aquatic or grow on shorelines, 24 of them in the LRB.

Plant Conservation Programmes

Monitoring of forest state, biodiversity and productivity. (Lithuanian Forest Management and Inventory Institute, Lithuanian University of Agriculture).

Monitoring of grassland vegetation, wetland vegetation, sand vegetation and monitoring of rare and vanishing plant species and communities (Institute of Botany, Regional subdivisions of Ministry of Environment).

Monitoring of aquatic vegetation and of plants on arable land. (Institute of Botany).

National Grassland Inventory in Lithuania (2002–2005). The main objectives are to create comprehensive inventory of natural and semi-natural grasslands, to develop a database, to prepare a GIS map of grassland, to evaluate the status of grasslands, to contribute to grassland conservation and management, and to raise public awareness for grassland protection in Lithuania. Details from the Lithuanian Fund for Nature.

Restoration of the Puscia bog (2002–2003). The aim of the project is to restore the damaged Puscia bog (Zarasai district, East Lithuania) by re-establishing the water regime, establish typical bog vegetation. Phase I started in 2000–2001, when three main dams were built and a monitoring programme started. Details from the Lithuanian Fund for Nature.

Group certification for private forest owners in Lithuania (October 2002 – June 2005). The main objectives are a) to provide information on FSC certification for private forest owners and other stakeholders within the forestry and nature conservation sectors in Lithuania; and b) to promote protection of biological diversity in private forests. Details from the Lithuanian Fund for Nature

Transfer of European Knowledge from the Area of Nature Management to Lithuanian Nature Protection Institutions and Environmental Non-governmental Organizations. Project implementation: 2000–2001. Goal: to emphasize the importance of nature management in biodiversity conservation; to transfer knowledge and experience of EU countries in preparation of management plans and managing habitats to nature protection institutions and NGOs. As a result a book on a role of nature management in biodiversity conservation was published. Project supported by the World Bank Small Grant Program. Details from the Lithuanian Fund for Nature

Key Institutions

Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, 4/9 A. Jaksto, LT-2600 Vilnius.

Lithuanian Fund for Nature, Algirdo St. 22 – 3, LT-03218 Vilnius.

Institute of Botany, Zaliuju ezeru 49, LT-2021 Vilnius.

Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, Akademijos g. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius-21.

NATURA 2000 in Lithuania, Jaksto 4/9 LT-01105, Vilnius.

Botanic Gardens

Botanic Garden of Vilnius University, Kairenu St. 43, LT-10239 Vilnius.

Botanic Garden of Klaipeda University, Kretingos St. 92, 92327 Klaipeda.

Botanic Garden of Siauliai University, Vilniaus St. 88, LT-76285 Siauliai.

Kaunas Botanic Garden, Z. E. Zilibero St. 6, LT-3018 Kaunas.

Other useful information/Other useful links

Lithuanian Mycologist Society. Zaliuju ezeru St. 49, LT-2021, Vilnius.

Lithuanian Scientific Society, J. Basanaviciaus 6, LT-2001 Vilnius.

Acknowledgement

This page was written by Martynas Kazlauskas, Botanic Garden of Siauliai University. Created August 2004. Last updated September 2005.