An encouraging study of the biodiversity research of the Great Island of Lake Zarasai

2020 In the autumn and spring of this year and at the beginning of the summer, the experts of the SE Wetlands Restoration and Protection Fund carried out research on the biodiversity of the Antalieptė, Antazavė, Kamariškės and Stelmužė manor parks and the Big Island of Lake Zarasai (or the old Zarasai manor). The aim of these studies is to provide suggestions for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity to the owners and responsible organizations managing and restoring historic parks.

The works are carried out with the funds of the international project “Improvement of ecological conditions of water bodies in Latvia and Lithuania” LLI-476 Save Past for the Future (LLI-476 Save the Past for the Future). The project in Lithuania is financed in 2014–2020. Interreg VA Latvian-Lithuanian Cross-Border Cooperation Program and the Republic of Lithuania.

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Biodiversity is delighted by the diversity of the living world of the Great Island of Lake Zarasas, although the area has become a very popular place in recent decades - it hosts many events, a large number of active recreation enthusiasts, fishermen and recreational families. On the 44-hectare island, visitors are delighted by a forest with old trees, colorful meadows and even wetlands, growing single mature trees that have already become a complex living ecosystem, not a single individual.

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On the Big Island of Lake Zarasas, the forest habitats are dominated by natural and planted pine, oak, black alder and birch stands aged 60–140. The northern lakeside of the island is surrounded by a strip of moisture-loving black alder, scattered oak stands in the northern, eastern and south-eastern parts of the island, and in the central part isolated single oak, mulberry and small-leaved lime trees grow. Although most trees are not in good condition, they are valuable in a natural sense - even dead trees, plantations in poor or satisfactory condition are important as a valuable habitat for many other organisms. Trees, wooded, perennial, or naturally mature trees provide shelter for many species of lichens, fungal mosses, insects, and birds, and are aesthetically and cognitively valuable. With proper care, they can serve more than one generation of biodiversity. During the research, as many as 7 trees were identified, in which signs of rare and protected beetles were observed - the activity of a dark-colored golden beetle (a species protected on the scale of Lithuania and the European Community) and an oak log (protected in Lithuania). The dark-colored golden beetle is an indicator umbrella species, so by protecting this beetle, we also protect other species associated with old tree groves.

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Specialists to improve the condition of individual valuable trees suggest the use of management measures specifically selected for them: trunk shortening by removing the damaged part of the rot and roofing, crown tying and / or pruning (tree stabilization), trunk protection against beavers by enclosing a net fence felling the condition tree, leaving dead wood in place for biodiversity, etc. Crown tying, pruning and trunk shortening work can only be entrusted to qualified arborists.

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