Project activities

The project management activity is a continuous activity throughout the project implementation, which ensures the overall management of the administrative, technical and financial aspects of the project.

Main operational tasks:
1. Administer the Project in accordance with national laws and regulations and LIFE program guidelines and regulations and other binding regulations;
2. Monitor the overall progress of the project;
3. Ensure timely preparation and submission of Project reports and deliverables to CINEA, ensure connection between CINEA and the project, project documentation and project partners;
4. ensure compliance of project expenses with the project implementation plan and achievement of the planned goals according to the action schedule; 5. to process and manage Project documents;
6. create and maintain a continuous and effective flow of information and communication between partners and ensure maximum use of existing synergies;
7. communicate with the Commission and provide related beneficiaries with copies of the technical and financial reports submitted to the Agency/Commission, as well as the Agency/Commission's reactions to these documents.

The external audit is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the LIFE program. A project audit is necessary to ensure accurate accounting of the project budget, cash flow and all expenses incurred, and an independent assessment of the eligibility of expenses. For the successful implementation of the project, compliance with national laws and regulations, as well as Life program rules and various agreements, is important.

In order to continue the activities of the project and to ensure the sustainability of the achievements of the project, an After-LIFE plan will be developed at the end of the project. It will set out how the Project will continue and develop specific activities implemented within the Project in the following years after the end of the Project and how long-term management will be provided to ensure this.

In this activity, a work plan will be prepared for improving the availability, quantity and quality of habitats for ecologically sensitive fish species, where the locations of the activities, the methods used, the time and deadline, the cooperation of the involved project partners and other parties, etc. will be indicated.
In order to ensure the execution of the works, an agreement will be concluded with the landowners on the equipment access corridors, as well as expert opinions will be received on the possible impact of fish resources, which are necessary for the application of the technical regulations of the State Environmental Service. At this stage, cartographic and historical materials and documentation will be evaluated, as well as field research - survey of the territory in nature.

In this activity, a work plan for the management of riparian forests will be prepared, where the locations of the activities, the methods used, the time and deadline, the cooperation of the involved project partners and other parties, etc. will be indicated. The aim of this activity is to address and attract forest owners in the Salaca sub-catchment (in the area where the project activities are planned), so that demonstration areas with different composition of tree species, white alder replacement demonstration areas, as well as a demonstration trail can be created in the forest lands. The main activities of this activity are the agreement with the landowners on the creation of the demonstration area and the demonstration trail, the selection of the place for taking the chemical analysis, the survey and marking of the demo areas, the selection of the management technique, method, type and time, the selection of the monitoring plots.

The objective of the activity is to establish a framework for a comprehensive assessment of ecosystem services in the Salaca river valley. This framework will support the sustainable management and improvement of the water quality and resources of the Salaca river by modelling the ecosystem impacts of different land use practices, river management and restoration measures. The framework will also be used to monitor the impacts of project activities. It will build on existing approaches such as the European Commission's MAES framework and specific river ecosystem assessment methodologies such as LIFE GoodWater IP and LIFE IP CleanEST.

In order to increase the quality and quantity of habitats for ecologically vulnerable fish species, reduction of sediments and loosening of the river bed will be carried out in sections of the Salacas River, which is a protected habitat of European Union importance 3260 "Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation". The works in the river bed will be carried out from July 15 (the time when the baby birds and fish have grown large enough to avoid the excavator) until September 15 (the time when the salmon begin to swim into Salaca and prepare to spawn). The biotope will be improved with a special soil loosener and a water pump with a hydraulic drive. In areas with thicker overgrowth and sediment, it will be dug out with a bucket. The vegetation and sediments excavated from the river will be placed on the river bank above the levee line of the river, which will prevent the sediments from returning to the river. On the other hand, rapids that are not so overgrown will be loosened with a soil loosener and, thanks to the current, will clean themselves. The excavator will be equipped with biodegradable oils and lubricants to reduce the risk of contamination. Within the framework of the project, a total of 20 ha of fish spawning grounds and habitats of EU significance 3260 will be restored in the sub-basin of the Salacas River.

The aim of this activity is to demonstrate a new approach to riparian forest management based on ecosystem services assessment. As part of this activity, the following will be created:
• 40 ha of demonstration areas of riparian forests with forest plots of different age, composition and structure (cutting down bushes and other useless trees, targeted planting of saplings of certain tree species, care of saplings, protection of saplings against animal damage);
• Replacement of 25 ha of white alder trees in the riparian forest area (cutting of white alder trees, soil preparation using various methods used in forestry, preparation and planting of seedlings, application of seedling protection measures against damage caused by ungulates, regular care of the area);
• Creation of a 4 km long demonstration trail (elimination of undergrowth, fallen trees and dangerous trees, ground cover milling in the trail lane, installation of railings in the steepest sections of the trail, installation of simplified footbridges in wet depressions, QR code.
• Preparation of 25 videos about the activities carried out, about processes in different seasons, evaluation of ecosystem services, inseparability of forest and river ecosystems and the impact of river bank processes on water quality.

The most important ecosystem services in riparian forests are:
• Supply services: fish resources and timber obtained from forests growing on river banks.
• Regulation and maintenance services: regulation of climate and water circulation, maintenance of fresh water quality, erosion control, pollution filtering, accumulation of nutrients, provision of habitats (living, breeding, feeding places, migration corridors).
• Cultural services: recreation opportunities, provide people with spiritual, aesthetic enjoyment, serve as a source of inspiration and provide cultural heritage, scientific and educational services.
As part of this activity, a model will be created to characterize the impact of management activities on future changes in the total value of riparian forest and river ecosystem services (ES), which can be used as a stand-alone (on the project website, as well as applied in fieldwork and demonstration) as well as being integrated in decision support systems.
The main function of the model: to predict the total value of a set of ecosystem services after 30 years without management, as well as with a proposed management action, to assess whether the action provides residual or enhanced value and the trade-offs between the delivery of different services.
The task includes the development and testing of three scenarios to calculate the aggregated value of ecosystem services. These theoretical scenarios are as follows: 1) no management scenario - complete abandonment of riparian forests without human intervention (the lowest level of anthropogenic disturbance); 2) production forest management scenario - application of all usual forestry practices (in this case, not observing the restrictions applied to surface water protection zones; the highest level of anthropogenic disturbance, but uneven spatial distribution); 3) the scenario of improving the ecological functionality of coastal strips - application of a combination of existing management recommendations, for example, the promotion of broad-leaved trees, the elimination of common spruce and gray alder monocultures, the improvement of ground vegetation lighting conditions, the creation of a complex multi-layered tree stand in order to maximize the ability of the riparian forest ecosystem to perform its ecological functions (reduce sediment and nutrient influx, prevent erosion, preserve habitats and biodiversity).

The activity includes the development of a nature protection plan for the nature park "Salacas ieleja", which currently does not have a valid nature protection plan. The nature protection plan will be developed in a "new framework", which is currently being developed by LIFE IP LatViaNature. The plan will also include the results of the project activities.

Hydrological, chemical and biological monitoring, which will allow to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented measures and the impact on the ecological quality of water bodies.

The impact of project activities on the state of ecosystems and provision of services will be evaluated using the main performance indicators provided by the LIFE program, as well as the set of ecosystem service indicators developed by the event. Data for the evaluation of the impact of the project activities on the state of ecosystems and the provision of services will be collected by surveys conducted within the project, as well as other secondary data sets identified during the preparatory activities.

By summarizing the experience and knowledge gained during the project, guidelines will be prepared:
• Riparian forest management. There are 200,000 ha of riparian forests in Latvia, which directly affects many private and legal forest owners, as well as state and municipal forest managers. The guidelines will promote a wider understanding of what and how to do in riparian forests. The guidelines will include both the conclusions reached in the course of the project and the findings of the scientific practice of the industry, as well as demonstrations and examples of work carried out in the areas of white oak replacement.
• Improving habitat availability, quantity and quality for ecologically sensitive fish species. During the project, experience will be gained on the most suitable excavator technique, loosening method and the most suitable selection of buckets for excavating the vegetation of degraded rapids. Observations will be made about the most suitable salmon spawning material (substrate) and the most suitable spawning place in the rapids. Large-scale rapid restoration and data acquisition will lead to the development of guidelines for specialist excavator operations to be undertaken in overgrown salmon rapids, e.g. (Venta, Gauja).
• Guidelines for the coordinated monitoring network of the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive will be prepared. Guidelines for the coordinated monitoring network of the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive will be prepared. Best practices and the alignment process will be described step by step. The main users of these guidelines will be national supervisory authorities, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. These guidelines will also be presented in one of the EU working groups on water quality (eg ECOSTAT).

Taking into account the results of the project, proposals for changes in regulatory acts will be prepared:
1) In riparian forest management:
2) Implementation of ecosystem service evaluation principles in regulatory acts;
3) For the next period monitoring plan in connection with the harmonization of the Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive.

For the further use of knowledge, educational seminars and individual trainings will be held for professionals and industry experts in the management of riparian forests, improvement of habitat availability, quantity and quality for ecologically sensitive fish species, as well as in the harmonization activity of the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive.

Several networking events are planned within the project:
1. Experience exchange trips. In the initial part of the project, a number of experience exchange trips are planned, including trips to ongoing LIFE projects, where the same or similar problems are solved and activities are carried out, where you can gain additional experience.
2. Participation in international/local conferences with reports on project activities and achievable results.
3. Several publications in Q1 level scientific journals;
4. Holding an international conference in the areas of riparian forest management and ecosystem services assessment.
5. Final event of the project, where the results of the project and what has been done in the project will be presented.

As part of this activity, it is planned to create an ecosystem service assessment model that can be used and practically applied as a decision-making support tool.

This Project activity will provide communication activities with society - mass media, television, radio, newspapers, social networks, etc. As part of this activity, it is planned to create an interactive exhibition "On the banks and depths of Salaca, in the Salacgrīva Nature Education Center. It will include a variety of information in popular scientific language about the Salaca River, freshwater quality, species and habitats. The exhibition will consist of four complementary exhibitions - river management from ancient times to the present day , an underwater world in the river, a laboratory and a mini cinema.

The Layman report is a summary of project activities and achieved results, which is developed at the final stage of project implementation. It is intended to be developed by the LIFE program.

The project foresees more events in communication with the society in Salacgrīva and its region:
1. At the start of the project, 4 indoor seminars are planned in different settlements (Salacgrīva, Limbaži, Staicele, Mazsalaca), where local residents will be invited to be informed about the project.
2. Every year, the Salmon Cup in Salacgrīva and the Salaca Clean-up will be supported, where the project partners will provide informative project activities and everyone is invited to participate.
3. It is planned to visit local schools twice a year to tell students about the activities planned in the Project and why it is necessary.