Development Agency of Vestiena Protected Landscapes Area (hereinafter - DAVPLA) was founded on 20 May, 2005 with a goal to ensure the sustainable and balanced regional development, and rational use of nature resources of the area.

 

Founders: private persons and delegated juridical persons from the local NGO’s and municipalities.

 

Idea:  a necessity of such organization, consolidating the representatives from the municipalities, NGO’s, entrepreneurs and private persons appeared already in end of 2004.

In order to ensure the development of the Protected Landscapes area “Vestiena” and its economical interests according to the spatial development perspectives of the territory and the requirements of the national legislation, an idea of the establishing of a supervising organization occurred. This organization, consolidating all local municipalities, would be responsible for the co-ordination of:

community’s development and educational projects elaboration,

unified information system formation,

involvement of the professional experts,

community’s common strategy elaboration and enforcement,

spatial and the nature protection and management plans elaboration.

In summer 2005 all activities were started and projects for the years 2006 and 2007 were developed.

 

1. In July 2005 a Forum of inhabitants from 5 rural municipalities was organized.

 

2. In year 2005 a project proposal for the LIFE-Nature programs was elaborated and submitted. Project “Improvement of habitat management of Natura-2000 site – Vestiena” was approved in 2006 and currently is being implemented.

 

Target area of the project is NATURA-2000 site – the protected landscapes area “Vestiena” that includes also 2 Nature Reserves - “Ilziņa Lake” and “Kāla Lake Islands” – and Nature Park “Gaiziņkalns”.

 

The project goal is the elaboration of the Nature Protection and Management Plan for the Protected Landscape Area “Vestiena”.

 

Project Partners are:

• Nature Protection Board,
• Council of Madona District,
• SJC “Latvian States Forests” / Forestry “Vidusdaugava”,
• Ārona rural municipality,
• Vestiena Rural Municipality,
• Bērzaune rural municipality and
• Ērgļu County

 

Project is elaborated and implemented by the Development Agency of Vestiena Protected Landscapes Area.

 

3. In 2006 2 workshops on “The calibration of the criteria for the specially protected forest habitats and experts training” (in June and in September) were held. Both projects were implemented with the financial support of the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund.

 

4. In 2006 a project “Capacity strengthening of the 5 Madona District municipalities and NGO activities for the professional acquisition of the ESF programs in order to improve the economical situation and overall quality of life in their own region” was implemented. The project was financially supported by the European Social Fund and administrated by the Latvian Social Integration Fund.

 

5. Currently, one of the DAVPLA working groups is drafting the concept of the project for the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms programs (2007-2013). The main goal of this project will be elaboration of the instruments how to balance the economical development needs and sustainable use of nature resources. For the elaboration of the necessary instruments and their demonstration in practice the Norwegian experience on the elaboration of the integrated regional development spatial plans will be used.

 

6. Another working group just now is elaborating the project proposal for the development of the Tourism and Environmental education infrastructure system in Nature Park “Gaiziņkalns“. Project will be submitted under the ERDF program “Establishment of the informative and the anthropogenic pressure educating infrastructure”.

 

7. In 2007 a project proposal on “The establishment of the Centre “Innovative solutions and Free Access to the Information” in Madona District” was developed and to the LEADER program submitted.vv