On 25 July, the Latvian Fund for Nature held an Open Meadow Day at the Rūdolfs Blaumanis Memorial Museum “Braki” and in the natural meadows surrounding it. The event brought together participants interested in learning about the value of natural meadows, meadow management experience and restoration opportunities. The event took place with nature-friendly farmers Gunārs and Artūrs Vīgants, the founders of the “Neganti gardi” brand, who have been managing the “Braki” meadows for 15 years.
The day began with morning coffee at the “Braki” museum, where participants learned about the programme and began discussing natural meadows.
After the morning coffee, host Gunārs Vīgants, together with Latvian Fund for Nature grassland expert Baiba Strazdiņa, spoke about the experience of managing the “Braki” meadows and restoring natural grasslands. They explained why conserving natural meadows is important for biodiversity — they are among the most species-rich habitats in our region — and discussed methods that can be used to restore natural meadows.
The “Braki” meadows are special because of their historical continuity — they have existed as meadows and pastures for more than a hundred years. They are an integral part of the cultural landscape around Ērgļi, and it is possible that Rūdolfs Blaumanis himself once walked through these meadows and drew inspiration from them. Long-term, targeted land management has helped preserve and develop one of Latvia’s biodiverse natural meadows here.
During the walk, participants explored the diversity of natural meadow plants and learned about natural grassland indicator species, including field scabious, as well as the methods used by the Vīganti brothers to restore the meadows. To gain practical insight into meadow species diversity, the group also marked out a one-square-metre section of meadow and counted the plant species found within it. During the meadow bingo game, participants searched for species, finding the meadow plants and animals listed on their bingo cards.
After the walk, participants gathered for a picnic with burgers prepared by “Neganti gardi”, continuing conversations about nature, meadows and sustainable farming.
Brothers Artūrs and Gunārs Vīgants see agriculture not only as a business, but also as an opportunity to care for the surrounding environment. For more than ten years, they have been involved in the production and sale of organic beef, while also using natural grassland restoration methods to support the conservation of the landscape and biodiversity.
The Latvian Fund for Nature thanks Gunārs and Artūrs Vīgants for their hospitality and for sharing their experience, as well as all the event participants for their interest and involvement in exploring natural meadows.
Open Meadow Days provide an opportunity to meet nature-friendly farmers and learn more about natural meadows – one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in Latvia. Conserving natural meadows requires appropriate, knowledge-based management, and events such as these help raise awareness of the importance of conserving and managing these valuable natural habitats.
This summer’s series of Open Meadow Days will conclude with an event on 8 August in Skrīveri, hosted by grassland manager Jānis Kravalis.