Representatives of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno took part in the final conference on the project of transboundary cooperation in the field of ecology

During the event, the results of the project were summed up and a strategy for further cooperation was proposed on the issues of combating the spread of dangerous plant species in the Belarusian-Lithuanian сross-border region.
The partners of the ENI-LLB-1-207 project "Reduction of Negative Impact of Alien Invasive Plant Species on Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing in Cross-Border Region of Lithuania-Belarus" are the Administration of the Municipality of Varena region, the Administration of the Dzukiy National Park and the Chepkeliai Nature Reserve, as well as Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, the Department of Agriculture and Food of Grodno Regional Executive Committee, State Environmental Institution “Republican Landscape Reserve“ Ozery ”. The final conference with the participation of representatives of the two countries was held online.
Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Biological and Landscape Diversity of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Svidinsky, Deputy Chairman of Grodno Regional Executive Committee Valery Balashov took part in the event from the Belarusian side. On behalf of the Lithuanian partners, Gedeminas Rasčius, the Director of the Natural Heritage Fund, made a welcoming speech.
In his speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Ecology of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Alexander Karevsky, expressed confidence that the results achieved during the project implementation will be good motivation for further cooperation.
“We managed to start forming an ecological mentality among the local population of the сross-border areas in order that they promptly notify us and environmental organizations about finding new kinds of alien plants foci. To prevent further penetration of these plant species into wider territories, timely localization of these foci is very important”, - noted Alexander Karevsky.
Within the framework of the ENI-LLB-1-207 project "Reduction of Negative Impact of Alien Invasive Plant Species on Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing in Cross-Border Region of Lithuania-Belarus", the issues of joint organization of work on the control and destruction of invasive plant species of the borderlands were resolved, options for joint work with authorities, land users and the local community were proposed. In addition, field excursions were conducted to the places of growth of such invasive plant species, as Acer negundo, Impatiens, Echinocystis, Canadian goldenrod, giant goldenrod and others. The project participants mastered the methods of species identification, acquired skills in working with the online questionnaire for the registration of invasive plants.
During the final conference, it was noted that the cross-border cooperation project has been successfully implemented and it is necessary to continue working in this direction.