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End Date
Project Summary
The GrassLIFE project focuses on restoring and improving European Union priority grassland habitats in Latvia and promoting their sustainable, multifunctional use. It aims to enhance the conservation status and long‑term management of key grassland biotopes through habitat restoration, grazing‑based management systems, demonstration actions, community engagement, and knowledge dissemination. GrassLIFE operates primarily within Natura 2000 network sites and works with farmers, researchers, and the public to ensure grassland biodiversity and ecosystem service values are recognised and maintained.
Themes
Biogeoghraphic Region
Objective
The core objective of GrassLIFE is to improve the conservation status of five EU priority grassland habitats in Latvia (including habitats coded 1630*, 6120*, 6210*, 6230* and 6270*) and to establish sustainable management systems that ensure their long‑term ecological health, economic viability, and connectivity within Natura 2000 sites.
Good Practice Description
GrassLIFE implements best‑practice restoration methods across 14 Natura 2000 sites by working directly with farmers, researchers, and landowners. The project restores more than 1,300 hectares of priority grasslands by applying both proven and innovative techniques, establishing mobile grazing units and sustainable grazing systems, and improving grassland connectivity. Through demonstration farms, mobile grazing demonstrations, community events, capacity‑building, and public campaigns, the project enhances awareness of grassland values and supports a network of farmers actively managing restored habitats. Farmers and practitioners are equipped with business plans, ecosystem service information, and restoration guidelines, while grassland seed production and supply are fostered to ensure long‑term restoration potential. Knowledge and recommendations from GrassLIFE are shared widely to inform policy and support replication.
Tools and Equipment
To carry out the GrassLIFE activities, it is essential to have a mix of analytical, practical, and communication resources. These include tools for habitat assessment and monitoring, equipment for restoring and managing grasslands, demonstration infrastructure at partner farms, and digital tools for outreach and knowledge exchange.
Personnel
Implementing GrassLIFE requires a multidisciplinary team that includes ecologists and restoration specialists to design and monitor habitat actions; agricultural advisers and grazing managers to coordinate sustainable grazing and seed strategies; community engagement professionals and educators; communication staff to manage outreach and digital content; and project managers and administrative staff to handle planning, coordination, reporting, and compliance.
Problems and Threats Faced
Latvian priority grasslands are in an unfavourable conservation status due to abandonment, inappropriate management, conversion to arable land, afforestation, and overgrowth. These pressures have dramatically reduced the extent and quality of semi‑natural grasslands, threatening plant and animal biodiversity, disrupting traditional grazing systems, and weakening ecosystem services such as pollination, soil fertility, and cultural landscape values. Without active restoration and improved management, these habitats are expected to continue deteriorating.