At the Daugavpils meteorological observation station, located in the east of the city near the Ruģeļi reservoir, the frost has reached minus 32 degrees Celsius, which is the coldest morning in Europe and a new record for February 17, this week, in Latvia. According to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LVĢMC), the previous lowest air temperature recorded in the country on February 17 was -30.5 degrees in 1979 in Mērsrags.
The project “Joint nature-based preservation of climate change/humans-threatened urban LV-LT cross-border wetlands umbrella biodiversity by innovative solutions, reintroduction and joint management”, UrbUmbrella No. LL-00232, is being implemented in the vicinity of Ruģeļi within the framework of the Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania Programme 2021–2027. There, at the end of 2025, nature restoration works in the area adjacent to the river Daugava, which is the largest part of the UrbUmbrella project, were actively underway. The restoration of urban wetlands using nature-based solutions is an innovative method that will promote long-term preservation and protection of biodiversity. However, at the beginning of 2026, work was suspended due to the heavy snow, which exceeded 56 centimeters and made the work very difficult.
The target herpetofauna species of the project occur in Latvia on the northern border of their European ranges. The negative impact of the cold climate, especially during wintering, is one of the main limiting factors for these populations, which acts synergistically with the impact of invasive species and other anthropogenic factors. The survival of northern populations in conditions of extreme winter frost requires optimal wintering habitats. Therefore, the habitat optimization works carried out within the project are of great importance for the preservation of our herpetofauna: cleaning water bodies from excessive overgrowth and creating artificial beaver structures to provide favourable wintering places for amphibians and reptiles.
The project aims to promote the protection and preservation of biodiversity affected by climate change and human activities by preserving wetlands using nature-based solutions in the urban wetlands of the cross-border region of Daugavpils (LV) and Zarasai (LT).
