By walking along new picturesque tourist route in Ribiškės reserve, intensive discussion about maintenance of grasslands took place among project team and different stakeholders in 2015 June. Participants enjoyed the results of the implemented restoration works and considered the best possible ways to keep up this beautiful landscape open.

It was agreed that Regional Park shouldn’t take a role of farming, it has its other tasks to do.

The best and the most beneficial solution for the area would be to find the innovative farmer that could keep goats and lambs and let those animals to gaze the meadows. A living farmer, who would look after the animals could produce dairy products and sell them in the local market and in a such way produce added value of the raw materials. Also the presence of the animals in the meadows would make the area even more attractive to the tourists. This option would also allow to maintain the area as it was maintained years ago and to continue the existence of the traditional landscape. However, this goal is hardly achievable.

The second good option would be looking for socially responsible businesses, which could handle the costs of mowing and taking away the biomass. For this the business would get some marketing of their name. There has been ongoing discussions from the park with some businesses and it seems there could be an agreement soon.

See the restored territories and pictures form the discussion