Extensive grazing has been started to use in Aukstaitija National Park as a measure to restore natural habitats of European Community importance in peninsula of Pabirze.
According to an old tradition, cattle were sailed from the local village Meironys to pasture in the peninsula of Pabirze where valuable habitats of natural meadows and wooded pastures were formed. Unfortunately, this environmentally friendly tradition has recently vanished due to demographic reasons and urbanisation.
Therefore “Naturalit” project made an agreement with a local farmer in 2019 and bought him twenty cattle in order to graze them in the most valuable areas of Aukstaitija National Park and thus to maintain natural habitats of European Community importance.
Ten cattle were sailed to the peninsula of Pabirze by a special raft at the beginning of the summer 2020. Cows stayed there for all the summer looked after by the farmer and the staff of the National Park. Four calves were born during the summer. Cattle are going to be transported to Pabirze each year. Extensive grazing will be also used in other important territories of Aukstaitija National Park and Dzukija National Park during coming years.