Lithuania

Europa

467

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Lithuania is the most southerly and most agricultural of the Baltic states, yet it keeps great wetlands and an exceptional coastline. The Curonian Spit, a tongue of sand almost a hundred kilometres long shared with Russia, is a World Heritage Site and one of the most impressive shifting dune formations in Europe, stabilised with pine plantations after centuries of deforestation. At its base, Cape Ventė has hosted since 1929 one of the oldest bird-ringing stations on the continent, sited exactly where the Baltic migratory corridor narrows. The Curonian Lagoon and the Nemunas delta form a wetland of flood meadows and reedbeds with spoonbills, herons and tens of thousands of wildfowl. Inland, Aukštaitija and Dzūkija add glacial lakes, pinewoods on sand and peat bogs with moose, wolves and beavers.

The nature of Lithuania

National animal: The white stork, national bird since 1973

Did you know?

Lithuania has one of the highest densities of white stork in the world, with more than thirteen thousand pairs spread across its villages and fields, often on poles put up by the residents themselves. The species was declared national bird in 1973 and the country marks Stork Day every 25 April, which in popular tradition sets the real beginning of spring.

Biodiversity profile

Europa del Norte (Baltico)18,7% de la superficie forestal del pais bajo alguna figura de proteccion

Climate

•Continental humedo (Dfb), con influencia moderadora del Mar Baltico en la costa

Main biomes

•Bosque boreal-templado mixto (pino, abeto, roble, abedul)
•Turberas y humedales
•Costa baltica con la Laguna de Curlandia (Kursiu Nerija), extenso sistema de dunas
•Duna móvil costera
•Laguna litoral
•Delta fluvial
•Pinar sobre arena
•Turbera elevada
•Lago glaciar
•Pradera inundable

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Laguna de Curlandia (Patrimonio Mundial compartido con Rusia/Kaliningrado), con las dunas de arena mas altas de Europa

Flagship wildlife

•Alce europeo
•Lince euroasiatico
•Ciguena blanca (Lituania tiene una de las mayores densidades de cria de Europa)
•Aves migratorias en la Laguna de Curlandia
•Cigüeña negra
•Alce
•Lobo gris
•Castor europeo
•Nutria paleártica
•Espátula común
•Grulla común
•Pigargo europeo
•Foca gris

Notable endemic species

•Endemismo estricto limitado, tipico de la llanura del Baltico; el valor distintivo de Lituania reside en su excepcional densidad de cigüeñas blancas nidificantes, unas de las mas altas de toda Europa

Notable threatened species

•18,7% de los bosques de Lituania estan bajo proteccion formal, cifra intermedia entre Letonia (19,5%) y Suecia (12,3%)

Notable protected areas

•Parque Nacional de la Laguna de Curlandia (Patrimonio Mundial, dunas costeras)
•Parque Nacional de Aukstaitija
•Parque Nacional de la Isla Curlandia
•Parque Regional del Delta del Nemunas
•Parque Nacional de Dzūkija
•Reserva de Žuvintas
•Cabo de Ventė

Main conservation threats

•Presion de la industria forestal sobre bosques no protegidos
•Erosion de dunas costeras en la Laguna de Curlandia
•Drenaje de turberas para agricultura

Notable natural phenomena

•Las dunas de la Laguna de Curlandia son las mas altas de Europa, formadas por procesos eolicos costeros de gran escala a lo largo de siglos

Conservation

Žuvintas, protected since 1937, is the country's oldest reserve and a benchmark centre for waterbird monitoring. The dunes of the Curonian Spit need constant maintenance against erosion and tourist pressure.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Cape Ventė between September and October for the migration and the ringing sessions. The Nemunas delta in April during the spring floods. Inland villages between April and August for storks on the nest.

Sources: kliimaministeerium.ee - Forestry Estonia biodiversity (comparativa regional Baltico)

Temperate forest Freshwater