Goals of establishing

What exactly are protected areas? According to the Law on Protected Areas, a protected area is a clearly defined area of dry land and/or water that is of scientific, ecological, cultural or some other value that has a set regime for its protection and use. Most important to remember is that protected areas are a true vault containing our most treasured and priceless values. These days it is impossible to imagine how natural and cultural values could be otherwise protected, as the establishment of these territories has been adopted worldwide as the most effective means of protecting landscape and biological diversity and natural and cultural heritage values, and ensuring they are suitably maintained and used. 

Lithuania‘s protected areas are created in order to:

• protect natural as well as cultural heritage complexes and objects, landscape and biological diversity and the existing gene pool;
• safeguard the landscape‘s ecological balance and ensure the balanced use and regeneration of natural resources;
• facilitate informative and educational tourism, applied scientific research and environmental monitoring;
• promote natural and cultural heritage complexes and objects, traditional ways of life and ethnographical customs.

Thus, protected areas in Lithuania are established not only for the conservation of values, landscape and biological diversity, but also for recreational purposes, primarily educational tourism, applied scientific research and monitoring, and the promotion of landscape conservation, traditional ways of life and ethnocultural customs.