On 4th of December, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development hosted the “LIFE Award 2025” ceremony, honoring Latvia’s most outstanding LIFE projects in the fields of nature, environment, and climate. The University of Latvia’s LIFE FOR SPECIES project received the award in the category “Most Significant LIFE Contribution to Environmental Protection”.
This was the third “LIFE Award 2025” ceremony. Its aim is to promote awareness of the European Commission’s LIFE Programme in Latvia by identifying and showcasing the most successful projects financed through LIFE calls and implemented by Latvian institutions.
During the awards ceremony, the most impactful Latvian LIFE projects were recognised across nine categories for their important contributions to nature conservation, climate action, and the environment, helping to build a greener and more sustainable Latvia. The ceremony took place at the Environmental Education Centre “Botania” of the National Botanical Garden and brought together nearly 100 attendees.
The LIFE FOR SPECIES project team extends sincere appreciation to the jury, the organisers, and everyone who has contributed to achieving the project’s goals. Warm congratulations also go to all nominees and LIFE projects in Latvia for their dedicated work towards our shared nature, environment, and climate objectives.
In this golden autumn month, one of Latvia’s smallest rodent species – the northern birch mouse – prepares to enter hibernation.
This species is active at dusk and during the night. Before hibernation it feeds intensively, and can occasionally be spotted during daylight hours. Compared with other rodents of similar size, the northern birch mouse is relatively calm and may not flee immediately from humans unless sudden movements are made.
You can read more about the species and how you can help protect it in its fact sheet (PDF version available here). Fact sheet design: Kristīna Bondare.
Within the project, the northern birch mouse has been assessed as Least Concern (LC) and therefore will not be included in the new Red Book.
On 25–26 September 2025, the international conference of the Nature Conservation Agency’s LatViaNature project – “Together for Nature Conservation: Public and Private Sector Involvement” – took place at the University of Latvia House of Nature in Riga. The event gathered 150 nature conservation experts and professionals from 16 European countries.
The conference provided insights into the latest European Commission developments in nature protection and the practical implementation of the new EU Nature Restoration Law. Participants also explored innovative approaches, shared experience, and best practice examples from across Europe that contribute to achieving the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 targets. The event brought together policymakers, experts and practitioners, NGOs, and other stakeholders. The working language of the conference was English.
The LIFE FOR SPECIES project team also participated, presenting a poster on communication tools applied in the project: “Public engagement in practice: lessons from the LIFE FOR SPECIES project”.
More information and full recordings of the conference are available here:
https://latvianature.daba.gov.lv/en/conference-2025/
Sincere thanks to the organisers for delivering a high quality conference.
A heartfelt thank you to Jelgava Technology Secondary School for organizing the excellent event “One Step Closer” for students of grades 10–12 from the Zemgale region, held on 24 September 2025. The event brought together more than 150 students from five regional schools.
Project manager Gunta Čekstere-Muižniece giving a presentation. Photo: Edgars Krinbergs
The aim of the event was to support students in choosing topics for their research or creative projects and to inspire collaboration with specialists from different fields.
The field of biology and the LIFE FOR SPECIES project were represented by project manager Gunta Čekstere-Muižniece (University of Latvia, Institute of Biology), who introduced participants to the latest research directions in biology, the upcoming new edition of the Latvian Red Data Book, and later provided individual consultations to students at the project stand.
We are delighted that so many young people showed interest in research across various subfields of biology, as well as in rare, endangered, and protected species!
Did you know that protected fungi can also be found in meadows, not just in forests? This month, we highlight the crimson waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea), one of the most striking grassland fungi in Latvia.
Although in some countries the crimson waxcap is considered edible, it is not recommended to eat this mushroom, as it accumulates cadmium, which can be toxic and cause digestive disturbances. Of course, the species should also be protected due to its rarity.
The crimson waxcap is a grassland fungus with an important ecological role – it acts as a soil saprotroph, forms symbiosis with mosses, or sometimes mycorrhiza with trees growing in meadows. It also has high aesthetic value, as its colorful fruiting bodies decorate the grasslands in autumn.
You can read more about the species and how you can help protect it in its fact sheet (PDF version available here). Fact sheet design: Kristīna Bondare.
The body of the crimson waxcap reaches up to 15 cm in height. The cap is 5–12 cm wide, vermilion to blood-red, shiny, sticky, bell-shaped, with an uneven and often cracked edge. The flesh is white and has a faint smell. The gills are yellow to orange-red, spaced apart, and attached to the stem. The stem is 6–12 cm long and 0.8–2.0 cm thick, red-yellow to red, white at the base, cylindrical, glossy, and not sticky.
In Latvia, the crimson waxcap is classified as a Critically Endangered (CR) species.
This month, we highlight the rattle grasshopper (Psophus stridulus) - a small grasshopper species that can be observed in nature from mid-July until the end of September.
The Latvian name of the species derives from the characteristic rattling sound produced by males during flight. Because of its bright red hindwings, the species is also known as the red-winged grasshopper.
Adult individuals can be seen from mid-July to late September. They are well camouflaged in their surroundings, so most often the species is detected by spotting or hearing flying males.
You can read more about the species and how to help protect it in its fact sheet (PDF version available here). Fact sheet design: Kristīna Bondare.
The rattle grasshopper is a small, robust grasshopper with a dark grey (sometimes brown) and mottled coloration. Its hind legs feature light stripes, and the pronotum (thoracic shield) is arched upward with noticeable depressions on both sides. The hindwings are orange-red with black tips.
Females are larger and stockier than males, and their wings usually do not extend beyond the tip of the abdomen.
Distribution map author: Jānis Ukass
In Latvia, the rattle grasshopper is classified as an Endangered (EN) species.
On 26 July 2025, the Meadow Festival took place in Dreiliņkalns Park, organized by the Latvian Fund for Nature. This all-day event was dedicated to natural meadows and nature-friendly practices.
Throughout the day, the LIFE FOR SPECIES project team informed festival visitors about the upcoming Latvian Red Data Book, protected species, and hosted a quiz as well as an activity corner for the youngest participants.
The quiz created for the festival is still available — everyone is welcome to test their knowledge here:
👉 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/8ty7WEjFnb
For the youngest visitors, we offered creative activities, including mask making, puzzle assembling, and fun worksheets.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited the LIFE FOR SPECIES tent, and to the festival organizers for putting together such a wonderfully arranged event!
As July comes to an end, we’d like to introduce a truly beautiful butterfly that can still be seen in nature until early August – the alcon blue (Phengaris alcon).
The male Alcon Blue has bright blue upper wings with darker margins and lacks the black spots characteristic of other species in the same genus. The female, on the other hand, is dark brown with a bluish base on the wings and faint, darker markings.
The Alcon Blue is a specialist species that depends on a specific host plant - Gentiana pneumonanthe. In Europe, it has also been observed using the Cross-leaved Gentian (G. cruciata). The female lays easily noticeable white, spherical eggs on the buds, flowers, or stems of the host plant. After hatching, the caterpillar feeds inside the flower of the gentian for about three weeks.
You can read more about the Alcon Blue and how you can help protect this species in its fact sheet (PDF version available here). Fact sheet design: Madara Eihe, Kristīna Bondare.
The Alcon Blue is threatened by the abandonment and transformation of low-productivity grasslands – including fertilization, intensive grazing, early mowing, drainage, afforestation, and eutrophication – all of which lead to the loss of its host plant.
In Latvia, it is classified as Endangered (EN) due to its very small population and the rarity of its host plant. In Europe, it is considered Near Threatened (NT), but is endangered in many countries.
Project experts have prepared entries for the Latvian National Encyclopedia about eight endangered species found in Latvia. The prepared entries (in latvian) can be accessed via the links below:
Project experts have prepared entries for the Latvian National Encyclopedia about eight endangered species found in Latvia.
As the LIFE FOR SPECIES project nears its conclusion, the team is increasingly engaged in sharing experiences and results with others—helping to ensure the long-term impact and transferability of the project’s outcomes.
From April 28 to May 2, 2025, Liene Auniņa, head of the vascular plant species group from the LIFE FOR SPECIES team at the University of Latvia’s Institute of Biology, participated in the international conference “33rd European Vegetation Survey – Vegetation of Europe: Diversity, Dynamics, Conservation, and Restoration” in Perugia, Italy. She presented a poster titled “Extinction risk assessment of diagnostic species of mire classes – a case of Latvia,” showcasing the IUCN-based assessment results for 41 mire and spring species in Latvia. These included both specially protected species and those listed in the 2003 edition of the Latvian Red Data Book.
On May 8, project coordinator Jēkabs Dzenis presented the project’s activities to partners of the LIFE urbanCircles project from Latvia, Estonia, and Denmark. The presentation focused particularly on the conservation of endangered species in urban environments.
On May 15, the project’s cartographer Jānis Ukass gave a presentation at the Latvian Esri Software Users Conference, discussing the challenges and solutions in spatial data processing for the development of the Latvian Red Data Book.
On May 21, the LIFE FOR SPECIES team participated in a working meeting with Latvian and Lithuanian partners of the LIFE OsmoBaltic project. Jēkabs Dzenis introduced the project’s key activities, especially the work on updating the protected species list. The meeting also included in-depth discussions on the technical solutions developed for entering, processing, and visualizing species spatial data within the Ozols Nature Data Management System.
On June 2–3, the project team helped host a visit from Danish nature conservation experts to Latvia. Project expert Dāvis Ozoliņš presented the project's extinction risk assessments, with a particular focus on freshwater-associated invertebrates. Meanwhile, Jēkabs Dzenis led an educational hike through Gauja National Park, showcasing its natural values and the broader species protection challenges in Latvia.
Special thanks to Baltic Environmental Forum, LIFE GoodWater IP, Latvian LIFE Help Desk, and the LIFE IP LatViaNature project team for their collaboration in organizing this successful visit!
