Ādaži was established in 2004 as a

protected landscape IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

Ādaži Ādaži () (formerly ) is a town in Pierīga, on the left bank of the Gauja river. The town is the administrative center of Ādaži Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is located by the highway A1 (Latvia), A1, 21.6 km from ...

and

Saulkrasti Saulkrasti (; ) (literally ''Sun shores'' in Latvian) is a town in Saulkrasti Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the east coast of the Gulf of Riga. It is the administrative centre of Saulkrasti Municipality. Made up of a number o ...

municipalities of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Pierīga,

Gauja The Gauja River (, ) is a river in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the only large river of Latvia that begins and ends its flow in Latvia. Its length is 460 km, of which 93.5 km (approximately one-fifth) are in Gauja National P ...

is on the right bank of the lower reaches Ādaži military poligone and its adjacent territories. The area was created to preserve Latvia's rare habitats created during military training - dry heaths and open inland dunes with sand dune meadows, bluish meadow meadows and mesotrophic lakes, as well as a significant number of specially protected plant and animal species. The area also includes the Lieluika and Mazuika lakes nature reserve. Lake Mazuika is recognized as a benchmark for a clear water lake in the

Baltic region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

territory. Until 2019, economic activities in the area were governed by general rules on the use of specially protected areas, but special protection and use rules have been in force since 24 October 2019.Individual protection and use regulations of the protected landscape area “Ādaži” have entered into force
/ref> In total 51 species of flora (2) and fauna (49) are protected under EU Nature directives.

Flora

Two species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s - cutleaf anemone ('' Pulsatilla patens'') and sand pink ( ''Dianthus arenarius'' subsp. ''arenarius'') are protected under EU Nature directives.

Fauna

Protected

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s are the brown bear ('' Ursus arctos''), Eurasian otter (''

Lutra lutra The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

''), western barbastelle ('' Barbastella barbastellus'') and pond bat ('' Myotis dasycneme''). Protected

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s are the marsh fritillary (''

Euphydryas aurinia The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic realm, Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The p ...

'') and large white-faced darter ('' Leucorrhinia pectoralis''). Protected

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

es are spined loach (''

Cobitis taenia The spined loach (''Cobitis taenia'') is a common freshwater fish in Europe. It is sometimes known as spotted weather loach, not to be confused with the "typical" weather loaches of the genus ''Misgurnus''. This is the type species of the spiny l ...

''), brook lamprey ('' Lampetra planeri''), mud loach ('' Misgurnus fossilis'') and European bitterling (''

Rhodeus amarus The European bitterling (''Rhodeus amarus'') is a temperate freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acheilognathidae, the bitterlings. It originates in Europe, ranging from the Rhone River basin in France to the Neva River in Russia. ...

''). Protected

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s are the tawny pipit ('' Anthus campestris''), golden eagle (''

Aquila chrysaetos The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of p ...

''), lesser spotted eagle ('' Aquila pomarina''), short-eared owl ('' Asio flammeus''), hazel grouse ('' Bonasa bonasia''), bittern (''

Botaurus stellaris The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (''Botaurus stellaris'') is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (''B. s. stellaris'') breeding in parts of Europe and ...

''), nightjar (''

Caprimulgus europaeus The European nightjar (''Caprimulgus europaeus''), common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar is a crepuscular and nocturnality, nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia ...

''), white stork (''

Ciconia ciconia The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

''), black stork ('' Ciconia nigra''), short-toed eagle ('' Circaetus gallicus''), marsh harrier ('' Circus aeruginosus''), roller (''

Coracias garrulus The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the Coraciidae, roller family breeding in Europe. Its range extends into the Maghreb, West Asia and Central Asia. It winters in southern Africa, primarily in dry wooded savanna and ...

''), corncrake ('' Crex crex''), whooper swan ('' Cygnus cygnus''), white-backed woodpecker ('' Dendrocopos leucotos''), middle spotted woodpecker ('' Dendrocopos medius''), black woodpecker ('' Dryocopus martius''), ortolan bunting ('' Emberiza hortulana''), merlin ('' Falco columbarius''), red-breasted flycatcher ('' Ficedula parva''), great snipe ('' Gallinago media''), pygmy owl ('' Glaucidium passerinum''), crane (''

Grus grus The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') and the Siber ...

''), little bittern ('' Ixobrychus minutus''), red-backed shrike ('' Lanius collurio''), woodlark ('' Lullula arborea''), bluethroat (''

Luscinia svecica The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush (bird), thrush family Turdidae, but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher, in the family Muscicapidae. It, and similar small ...

''), osprey (''

Pandion haliaetus The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a Diurnality, diurnal, piscivore, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor (bird), raptor, reaching more than ...

''), honey buzzard ('' Pernis apivorus''), three-toed woodpecker ('' Picoides tridactylus''), grey-headed woodpecker ('' Picus canus''), golden plover ('' Pluvialis apricaria''), little crake ('' Porzana parva''), spotted crake ('' Porzana porzana''), Ural owl ('' Strix uralensis''), barred warbler ('' Sylvia nisoria''), black grouse (continental subspecies) ('' Tetrao tetrix tetrix''), capercaillie ('' Tetrao urogallus'') and wood sandpiper ('' Tringa glareola''). In total: *39 species of birds are protected under EU Nature directives. *4 species of fish are protected under EU Nature directives. *2 species of invertebrates are protected under EU Nature directives. *4 species of mammals are protected under EU Nature directives.

References

{{Protected areas of Latvia Natura 2000 in Latvia Nature parks in Latvia Ādaži Municipality Saulkrasti Municipality