As the warm weather begins, recreation in nature is becoming a routine activity for everyone, but in order for the rest to be nature-friendly, the State Environmental Service (SES) and the Nature Conservation Agency (NCA) recall that a number of conditions must be taken into account, particularly when going to rest at sea. With a view to protecting coastal landscapes and habitats, preventing the coastal erosion process and maintaining the forest protection function, a protection zone has been established for the dunes of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, in which the coast needs to be treated with special care.
The coastal dunes protection zone in towns and villages shall be at least 150 metres wide and outside populated areas shall be a zone at least 300 metres wide from where natural terrestrial vegetation begins. The coastal dune protection zone may be marked with special marks, but it should be noted that not everywhere they are located.
Holidaymakers in maritime areas are most likely to carry out environmental offences by driving a coastal dune protection zone with a car, motto or other vehicles, which leaves significant destruction behind them, particularly for dunes, as people try to drive them up and the tread of transport tyres destroys the ground of dunes, leading to later erosion of dunes. SES inspectors will conduct surveillance during the summer season, in cooperation with local local government police officers, with a view to eliminating these types of offences. It should be noted that SES inspectors, like the local government police, have the right to punish the legal owner of vehicles for entering, stopping and parking in the coastal protection zone without the presence of a driver. Motor vehicles, motorcycles, quasi-cyclists and other motor vehicles are allowed to travel only by road. The only exception where this prohibition is not in force is the need for access to residential buildings or specially constructed tourist and recreational sites. Trails and car tracks entering the forest shall not be regarded as a road. Parking spaces only in designated places - by appropriate marks for such purpose shall be permitted.

Cooking and stoking fire is an essential part of the rest, it should be remembered here that fire place should be in the desiganted places. If the fire is heated in one of the permitted places, the fire must be buried in the sand on the beach and a sandwall around it must be created. As elsewhere, it should be remembered to pick up all the waste in this area. Remember, when you went in nature, what you brought, take it away!
While focusing on overnight accommodation at sea, it is permitted to place tents only in recreational areas and campsites for that purpose. No tent shall be placed there on the beach or in the rest of the dunes zone. You can safely use a rocking net for sea rest.

“The nearly 500 km long and diverse seacoast is a great natural treasure of Latvia, which is a popular holiday for both local residents and foreign guests. Many appreciate the nature of the Latvian coast and highlight it as a unique, protectable value. The protection zone is one of the mechanisms for maintaining this natural value in the long term, including by providing people with opportunities to use different ecosystem services. However, the coast also performs other essential functions, namely that it is a home for species that cannot survive elsewhere. For example, the beach area is a home and a recreational area for many species of birds and animals. In turn, the washed trees are useful as ambushes and material during nesting, and we therefore call for the trees found on the coast not to be used as fuel,” Gita Strode, director of the Nature Conservation Department of the NCA, points out.

As any environmental violation, without complying with these conditions, citizens are brought to justice. The fine for breaching the requirements and restrictions set out in the protection zones for the protection of the environment and natural resources for a natural person is set at EUR 30 to EUR 1400, for a legal person between EUR 140 and EUR 2900, and for an official between EUR 70 and EUR 1400.

Photo: Gunta Gabrāne