STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOREGIONS IN LATVIA

Abstract

Human activity on the planet has created ecological problems, and it is necessary to find new solutions to the sustainable development of rural areas, thereby affecting the rural areas socially, economically, culturally and environmentally. Sustainable development allows society to increase prosperity, and one of the pillars of prosperity is an attractive living environment. Modern society�s perception tends to change, highly appreciating the need for local economic development. Each country applies a different approach to achieving its sustainable development goals. One of the potential solutions in this context could be the establishment of bioregions. The establishment of bioregions in the European Union is still at the initial stage, and an assessment of the current situation is very urgent. A strategic framework in place at all policy-making levels is essential to ensure the sustainable use and preservation of natural resources and to promote regional cooperation and sustainable development. In Latvia, bioregions are a new concept, which has no specific legal framework. However, the establishment of potential bioregions is largely affected by multilateral agreements between the UN and EU Member States, which are binding on Latvia and aimed at sustainable development, biodiversity and mitigating climate change. The present research employed document analysis to identify bioregion establishment processes and the drivers thereof. The research aims to analyse the strategic policy documents in order to summarize the policy conceptions of sustainable territorial development for the establishment of bioregions. The research was conducted with the support of fundamental and applied research project No. lzp2022/1-0519 Bio-regions as an Integrated Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in Latvia.