The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania () oversees the environment and natural resources in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. Its mission is: *To implement the principle of sustainable development; *To set preconditions for rational utilization, protection and restoration of natural resources; *To ensure provision of information about the state of environment and its forecasts to the public; *To create conditions for the development of construction business and the provision of residents with housing; *To ensure a proper environmental quality, taking into account the norms and standards of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. The Environment Protection Department, accountable to the

Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas The Supreme Council – Restoration Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (officially known as Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania), was the supreme governing body, elected in 1990. Its first meeting was held on 10 March 1990, and its last ...

, was established to oversee environment protection and

exploitation of natural resources The exploitation of natural resources describes using natural resources, often non-renewable or limited, for economic growth or development. Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and social conflict frequently accompany natural resource ex ...

after Lithuania restored its independence in 1990. In 1996, the Department was reorganized into Ministry of Environmental Protection. In 1998, after the merger with Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, it was renamed to Ministry of Environment. Thus it became responsible for construction, territorial planning, and housing. The Ministry has numerous divisions and subordinate institutions responsible for protected areas, environment protection, geological survey, forestry,

metrology Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. It establishes a common understanding of Unit of measurement, units, crucial in linking human activities. Modern metrology has its roots in the French Revolution's political motivation to stan ...

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

services, and marine research. The Ministry also runs the Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum.

Ministers

References

Environment Housing in Lithuania {{forestry-agency-stub