Representation of the interests of the Latvian Ornithological Society and public involvement

Description

The goal of the project is to ensure the participation of the Latvian Ornithological Society (LOB) and the general public in strategically important decisions regarding nature protection and sustainable management of natural resources.

Although nature conservation is one of the areas where involvement of wider society is the most apparent, the development of planning documents and legislation is still dominated by the interests of businesses harvesting natural resources rather than the interests of society. This is due to the fact that businesses have more lobbying capacities that environmental NGOs and, though society on the whole cares about nature, people often lack knowledge on the current issues and the role they can play in solving them. We want to show that every member of LOB and every member of society can contribute to advocacy for nature conservation.
To achieve the goal: the society will be represented in advisory councils and working groups related to conservation of species and habitats, sustainable management of natural resources; evaluation of the policy planning documents will be performed and the public will be informed about it; video stories about the experience of LOB members in civic activities and nature-friendly behavior will be prepared; the citizens will be invited to take part in at least 5 public consultations, paying attention to the implementation of regulatory enactments and applying to the local government for the arrangement of wildlife treatment and rehabilitation system; the work on LOB participation in decision-making processes will be explained regularly on social media and media; cooperation with other interest groups representing common interests will be implemented.

It is expected that the implementation of the project will leave an impact on the general public''s willingness to participate and the confidence to influence decision-making processes themselves.

Summary of project results

 

It was recognized that, despite the significant societal impact on environmental protection, policymaking in this field, particularly regarding nature conservation, was heavily influenced by businesses vested in natural resource extraction rather than public interest. This disparity stemmed from the stronger capacity of business advocates compared to the general public, which often lacked awareness about pressing conservation issues and opportunities for involvement.

The Latvian Ornithological Society (LOB), as the largest nature conservation organization in Latvia, had already played a key role in engaging the public. However, its members often perceived decision-making participation as the responsibility of the organization''s leadership rather than an avenue for individual contribution. The project aimed to demonstrate that every member of LOB and the broader public could contribute to advocacy, with a long-term goal of ensuring that decision-makers remain attentive to public voices even outside of election periods.

The following is a list of activities carried out during the project, highlighting key efforts to enhance civic participation and influence environmental decision-making.

• Representation in advisory councils and working groups

  • participation ensured in multiple councils and groups, including the Environmental advisory council, Forest advisory council, and thematic working groups related to the common agricultural policy strategic plan, etc.
  • feedback provided on eight laws and policy initiatives, including amendments to the protective zones law and hunting law.
  • active involvement allowed strategic issues to be addressed with continuity, influencing long-term policy development.
     

• Evaluation of policy planning documents

  • analysis conducted on performance of the previous Forest industry guidelines and recommendations provided for the next period.
  • critical review of the Forest management plan of a key state forestry company highlighted significant shortcomings, supporting improvements in sustainable management.
  • and evalutatioin of other policy planning documents were carried out.
     

• Video stories on civic engagement experiences

  • videos created to showcase members'' real-life civic engagement experiences, encouraging broader public participation by sharing relatable and inspiring narratives.
     

• Calls for public involvement in decision-making

  • public encouraged to participate in decision-making processes through social media, press releases, regional media, and direct outreach.
  • residents supported initiatives such as forest protection on the ManaBalss.lv platform and two international petitions related to EU directives and nature restoration.
  • several individuals consulted with the organization on starting new initiatives or organizations for environmental protection.
     

• Educational efforts on involvement in decision-making

  • communication activities included monthly publications, quarterly stories, social media updates, website articles, opinion pieces, and press releases.
  • 40 months of regular communication strengthened public understanding and engagement in nature conservation policy processes.
     

• Collaboration with other environmental NGOs

  • supported joint initiatives to oppose peat extraction in ecologically significant areas and halt logging in EU-protected forest habitats.
  • joined forces with organizations like Green Liberty, WWF, and others to advocate for better alignment of national recovery plans with the EU Green Deal.

• Increased public participation: The project enhanced broader societal involvement in LOB''s activities and decision-making on nature conservation and sustainable resource management.
• Membership growth: LOB''s membership rose from 597 (2019) to 828 (2023), reflecting heightened engagement and support.
• Stronger civic trust and participation: Citizens'' belief in their ability to influence decision-making grew, demonstrated by over 10,000 signatures collected for a successful environmental initiative on ManaBalss.
• Enhanced public visibility: Social media followers doubled (e.g., Facebook grew from 5,000 in 2020 to 11,000 in 2024), amplifying LOB''s reach and influence.
• Sustained advocacy: The hiring of a full-time public relations specialist enabled consistent efforts in public engagement, compared to previous sporadic approaches.
• Policy influence: The project supported high levels of LOB involvement in developing political documents, ensuring public interests were represented in strategic environmental decisions.
• Mitigation of capacity challenges: Continuous project funding helped LOB maintain its role in policymaking, avoiding potential limitations from capacity constraints.