Alternative use of biomass for maintenance of grassland biodiversity and ecosystem services

The main objective of the project: to ensure maintenance of biologically valuable grasslands by enhancing alternative, economically sustainable approaches to the use of grassland biomass as well as establishing co-operation models between farmers, entrepreneurs and local authorities, this would ensure viability of grassland management and proposed technological solutions. Project activities are carried out in two local municipalities of Latvia (Sigulda and Ludza), characterized by large areas of non-used agriculture land and abandoned grasslands, which due to lack of management are overgrowing and losing their biological value.

Project tasks:

• To assess biological and economic value of grassland ecosystems and available amount of biomass at the two project pilot areas (Sigulda and Ludza);
• To assess the use potential of the grassland biomass of the project pilot areas;
• To develop area specific technological solutions for grassland management and utilization of biomass in economically sustainable way;
• To inform local stakeholders about alternative options for use of grassland biomass;
• To establish contacts and co-operation networks among land owners and entrepreneurs engaged in production of energy and various goods from grassland biomass;
• To demonstrate in practice alternative technological solutions for biomass processing to wide range of interested stakeholders thus promoting application of proposed technologies and co-operation models elsewhere.

Project outcomes available in English:

• Public version of the project’s final narrative report (2018)
• After-LIFE Conservation and Communication Plan 2018-2022 (2017)
• Layman’s report (2017)
• Report “Publication-on-results-of-assessment-of-the-alternative-uses-of-biomass_Final” (2017)
• Report “Technological solutions for the use of biomass with evaluation of cost effectiveness” (2016)