Ministry of Environment invites public feedback on forest measures under the National Nature Restoration Plan
The Ministry of Environment has launched a public consultation on measures proposed for the National Nature Restoration Plan (NNRP). The public is invited to review the first section of the plan, covering forest ecosystems, and submit comments and proposals.
“Nature restoration is a long-term investment in stronger forest resilience, greater biodiversity and, ultimately, the well-being of future generations. In preparing the National Nature Restoration Plan, we want to hear a broad range of views. We therefore invite foresters, environmental organisations, researchers, municipalities and everyone interested in the future of our environment to review the proposed measures and actively submit their comments. This public dialogue is important to ensure that the plan submitted to the European Commission is well-founded and delivers tangible nature restoration outcomes,” says Vice-Minister of Environment Aira Paliukėnaitė.
What is the National Nature Restoration Plan?
The National Nature Restoration Plan is being prepared to implement the European Union (EU) Nature Restoration Regulation, which sets targets for restoring degraded ecosystems across all EU Member States. The plan will set out specific measures through which Lithuania will restore and improve the condition of terrestrial, forest, agricultural, freshwater, marine and urban ecosystems.
The plan will be released for consultation in stages. Measures for forest ecosystems form the first section. Other sections, covering terrestrial habitats, agriculture, rivers and lakes, marine and urban ecosystems, and pollinators, will be published and discussed later.
What do the forest measures cover?
The forest section comprises 28 measures contributing to several objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation.
Measures to enhance biodiversity in forest ecosystems and restore forest habitats and species of Community interest include restoring the structure and functions of forest habitats, restoring lichen-rich pine forests, and inventorying and protecting old-growth forests.
Measures to improve the common forest bird index and seven forest structural indicators include increasing deadwood, the proportion of uneven-aged forests, forest connectivity and tree species diversity; creating artificial breeding sites for protected animal species; and applying closer-to-nature forest management principles.
Measures to restore degraded peat soils and wetlands include restoring hydrological conditions in degraded wetland and peatland forest ecosystems.
The measures include both ongoing actions, whose continuity is to be ensured, and new proposals setting strategic directions for change. Proposed new measures include increasing the abundance of structural elements in forests, expanding closer-to-nature forest management, reforming the mechanism for mandatory deductions from raw timber sales, improving forest legislation and other measures.
Measures to restore populations of protected forest species will be presented together with other measures for restoring terrestrial ecosystems.
How to submit comments
The list of measures proposed for the forest section is available here. The measures are presented in the format in which they will be submitted to the European Commission, specifying the title, type and description of each measure and the objectives to which it contributes.
The Ministry of Environment invites the public to comment on specific measures included in the list and to propose any additional measures that may be needed.
Comments and proposals can be submitted through the online form by 15 September 2026.
Public meeting
The forest measures will be discussed at an online public meeting on 8 September 2026 at 10:00. The meeting invitation and access link will be sent to those registered for the public working group. A recording of the meeting will be published afterwards.
The Ministry of Environment will review the feedback received and, where necessary, revise the list of measures and their descriptions.
Last updated: 21-08-2026
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