📋 Tender Overview
Discussions About The Establishment Of New Military Ranges Often Raise Questions About The Impact On The Environment. Scientific Research And The Practice Of The Lithuanian Army Show That Many Fears Are Exaggerated. National Defense And Nature Conservation Are Not Opposites. The Same Environmental Protection Requirements Of The European Union And Lithuania Apply To Military Ranges As In Civilian Areas. The Sanctuaries In All Polygons Are Protected, And Any Damage Is Compensated By Equivalent Protected Areas. In Every War, Nature Suffers No Less Than People. Seeing What Is Happening In Ukraine, We Should Prepare Better, Says Doctor Of Natural Sciences Mindaugas Lapele. Landfills Can Become A Refuge For Rare Species. Military Ranges Have Buffer Zones Where Forestry And Other Activities And Human Visits Are Limited. This Creates Conditions Reminiscent Of Protected Area Reserves. And Species Sensitive To Disturbance - Both Plants And Animals - Live There, Explains Dr. Dalyte Matuleviciute. In The Pabrade Polygon, A Variegated Warbler Is Found, Which Is Not Found Elsewhere In Lithuania. The Only Wingless Locust Population In The Country Lives In Rudninkai. Clear Cuttings Are Not Planned In Kapciamiestis Or Taurage Polygons. Scientists Note That Controlled Logging Can Restore Certain Habitats. After Cutting Down A Pine Forest, Which Has A Very Small Diversity Of Species, The Open Sand Creates An Opportunity For Other Organisms To Settle In. In The Rudninkai Polygon, A Population Of Sand Carnation Appeared In The Newly Cut Area, Which Did Not Exist Before. Practically, The First Year, The First Season, And A Rare Protected Species Has Already Appeared, Explains Dr. D. Matuleviciute. Environmental Protection Rules Apply Even During The Smallest Exercises: Explosives, Pyrotechnic Remains Are Collected, The Forest Floor Is Not Dug Up. During Large Exercises, A Separate Staff Is Assigned To Environmental Control, Who Takes Care Only Of This Issue On A Daily Basis, Notes The Lithuanian Army. Pesticides And Fertilizers Are Not Used In Landfills - In Contrast To Agriculture. This Encourages Greater Species Diversity. After Expanding The Taurage Training Range, The Lithuanian Army Undertakes To Clean Up The Pesticide-Contaminated Area In Jurbarkas District - This Shows That The Development Of Military Infrastructure Can Contribute To The Improvement Of The Environment. What Does Foreign Experience Show? Michal Zmihorski, A Professor At The Polish Academy Of Sciences, Points Out: Landfills Can Become A Safe Haven For Animals, Such As Wolves Or Wolverines. There Are Almost No People Here, And Nature Can Take Its Own Course. Paradoxically, Some Species Are More Afraid Of Organized Human Presence - Farming Or Hunting - Than Shooting Exercises. French Scientist Dr. Pascaline Claudal, Who Has Studied Grassland Ecosystems In Polygons, Explains: Meadows Only Exist When Certain Processes Take Place In Them. Military Exercises Ensure That They Are Not Overgrown, As The Various Types Of Movement And Maneuvers Create A Continuous Effect. It Is This Activity That Prevents The Establishment Of Plant Species That Would Naturally Cover Open Grassland Areas. The Former Pariece Training Ground Is Today A Valuable Protected Area. Dzukija National Park Has Restored Heathers, Where One Of The Largest Grouse Populations In The Region Lives. If It Happens That Military Training Grounds Will Not Be Needed In The Future, They Will Be Able To Be Converted Into Nature Protected Areas, As In East Germany, Ireland And Elsewhere. Nature Will Fully Recover If We Help It, Assures Dr. M. Leaflet.
