Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) Environmental Management LAB researchers are evaluating changes in land use in 30 regional and 5 national parks located in Lithuania, LAB researcher Assoc. Prof. Marius Kalinauskas said.

The project titled, “Studies of Changes in the Landscape Structure of State Parks and Preparation of Descriptions of the Aesthetic Value of the Landscape,” deals with all national and regional parks of Lithuania, said Kalinauskas.

He said the project aims to "evaluate land use  changes and its dynamics from 1995 to 2018. Secondly, we will evaluate land use changes in parks from 2018 to 2022 and select 70 problematic areas for deeper analysis, which includes expeditions and drone shots of the area,“ he said.

Researchers include: MRU Enviornmental LAB Head Prof. Paulo Pereira, Dr. Miguel Inácio, Dr. Mindaugas Lapelė and Dr. Kalinauskas.

The project is an example of state cooperation with research institutions, Kalinauskas noted. It is a public procurement project won by the Environmental Management LAB and organized by the State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of the Environment, he said.

There are 30 regional parks in Lithuania. The full list is here. 

There are five national parks in Lithuania: Aukštaitija, Dzūkija, Curonian Spit, Trakai Historical and the Žemaitija National Park.

The project started in July 2022 and will end in June 2023.

(photos courtesy of Marius Kalinauskas)