Lithuania will draw up a value protection plan for the Curonian Spit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, without Russia. The prior requirement for the two countries to jointly prepare such a plan for the entire Baltic Sea peninsula was changed because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The UNESCO-required plan is aimed at protecting the region’s unique values, according to Aušra Feser, head of the Curonian Spit National Park authority.
“This is our obligation in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the plan is an agreement between various institutions to ensure the protection of values, including natural formations, cultural and material heritage,” she told BNS.
The initial plan also aimed at improving cooperation between Lithuanian and Russian institutions responsible for the protection of the peninsula by concluding joint agreements on future actions. According to Feser, preparations for joint work were in place a few years ago but were disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Having received permission for a separate plan, the Lithuanian authority last week started consultations with various institutions on the preparation of a management plan.
The Curonian Spit was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. The Lithuanian authority reports to the organisation on the situation in the protected area every six years.
The Curonian Spit is 98 kilometres long, with 52 kilometres stretching in Lithuanian territory.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
