The Latvian Fund for Nature has begun installing monitoring boards in several natural meadows in Latvia restored as part of the GrassLIFE2 project. They make it possible to track meadow development over a longer period and assess the success of restoration efforts. Using the monitoring boards, anyone visiting the meadows can take part in observing changes in restored meadows and help promote natural meadows by sharing photos on social media.
Restoring natural meadows is a long-term process, so it is important to regularly assess how areas change after restoration measures have been carried out — whether different plant species return and whether biodiversity increases overall. One way of documenting these changes is through visual monitoring using photographs.
The monitoring boards do not replace expert assessments of nature. Monitoring carried out by the Latvian Fund for Nature and other specialists involves a detailed assessment of meadow quality, including recording plant species and analysing other natural values. Such surveys usually take place during specific periods of the season, while photographic monitoring makes it possible to regularly document changes at the landscape level.
The monitoring boards have been installed near meadows where targeted natural grassland restoration is taking place. They provide landscape-scale data and allow long-term comparisons of how meadows change after restoration work begins.
Where are the monitoring boards located?
One of the monitoring boards is located in the Vakarbuļļi meadow in Riga. The area was also chosen because it is publicly accessible and visited by many people on a daily basis. Monitoring boards in public places not only provide visual data on changes in the meadow, but also help raise public awareness of the importance of natural meadows and their restoration.
Monitoring boards have also been installed in other restored meadows — in the Ziemeļgauja Marsi area and in Cēsis. The monitoring board network will continue to expand. In the near future, boards are planned to be installed in the meadow at the Latvian Fund for Nature’s rural base “Lejzemnieki” and at the GrassLIFE2 demonstration farm “Drubazas”, as well as in other meadows where targeted natural grassland restoration is taking place.
How to use the monitoring board
If you see a monitoring board in a meadow, you can make an observation:
- Open your phone camera.
- Place your phone on the holder on the board and take a horizontal photo of the landscape.
- Take a vertical photo of the same landscape.
- Scan the QR code on the board.
- Open the link and complete the monitoring questionnaire.
- Upload the photos you have taken and submit your observation.
The monitoring boards were created as part of the GrassLIFE2 project, through which the Latvian Fund for Nature, in cooperation with landowners and partners, is working to restore and sustainably manage natural grasslands in Latvia. The six-year project is funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme and project partners, with co-financing provided by the Latvian state.