Scholarly record

ASSESSMENT OF DETERMINATION OF DEGRADED TERRITORIES IN LATVIA

Vivita Puķīte, Māris Virkavs

Abstract

The identification of degraded territories has become an important component of spatial planning and development in the world, because land, both as a territory and as a natural resource, is limited, so much attention is paid to its efficient and sustainable use. There is no single definition of what constitutes a degraded territory. An important feature that characterizes these types of territories is their low value and limited use possibilities their full use cannot be initiated or continued without improvement measures and significant financial investments. Furthermore, in order to return degraded territories to the socio-economic cycle of the region, it is first necessary to identify them, carefully study them, and determine the most appropriate ways to restore their full functionality. The normative documents provide for separate provisions that apply to the assessment of both degraded territories and soil degradation, including determining the relevant criteria and classification principles. However, taking into account that the procedure for determining degraded territories in Latvia has been established recently, in-depth scientific research on the application of the criteria for determining degraded territories has not yet been conducted. Therefore, the aim of the research is to evaluate degraded territories and their criteria in Latvia. To achieve the goal, the following tasks have been set - to collect, analysis and compare information on the types of degraded territories and degradation assessment practices in Latvia and Europe, to conduct a survey of local municipalities to obtain information on degraded territories assessment practices and determine criteria for degraded territories. The research used a monographic and document analysis method to study the criteria for degraded territories and evaluate their applicability in the context of normative documents, and a survey method to determine the opinions of municipalities on the practice of determining territories. The results of the research show that there is a lack of a unified approach to identifying degraded territories in Latvia both the regulatory framework and the application of criteria in practice are uneven and fragmented. The results of the research confirm the need for a unified methodology and data management system in Latvia to facilitate the work of municipalities in identifying and assessing degraded territories.

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