On June 10, a meeting of the Zemgale Planning Region (ZPR) Joint Climate, Energy and Environment Coordination Working Group took place in Jelgava, bringing together specialists from Zemgale region municipalities, sector experts, and project implementers. During the meeting, participants discussed current issues in the fields of transport decarbonization, energy community development, climate change mitigation, and sustainable environmental management.
In the first part of the day, participants learned about developments in transport decarbonization, mobility innovations, and future development directions, including smart mobility, as well as activities related to establishing energy communities in the Zemgale region.
In the second half of the day, the activities of the “NATALIE” project in Zemgale were highlighted – active work is currently underway on the design of two constructed wetlands: one in Staburags parish for domestic wastewater, and another in Vecauce for agricultural wastewater treatment. As noted by Linda Grinberga, associate professor at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) and wetland designer, this is the first time domestic wastewater treatment using such a nature-based solution is being planned on such a large scale in Latvia. For this reason, foreign experience has been carefully studied so that the solution can function fully both in winter and under conditions of heavy rainfall.
To purposefully prepare for the implementation of these innovative solutions and to explain their significance, meeting participants took part in an interactive co-creation session, which served as a continuation of previous discussions on public engagement. Working groups planned the program for a one-day seminar aimed at preparing educational activities for municipal specialists, farmers, and local residents on the possibilities of using constructed wetlands.
Such informational and citizen science activities are essential for raising local community awareness and successfully integrating nature-based solutions into the region’s climate adaptation strategies.
Koprades diskusijas ievadmateriāli.(in Latvian)
Information prepared by Agnese Launerte and Līga Stokmane-Blaua.
The “NATALIE” project is being implemented under “Horizon Europe – the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 2021–2027.”
