With a purpose of renewing natural territories and educate people on significance of biodiversity and nature-friendly lifestyle, WWF Latvia – (Pasaules Dabas Fonds – PDF) and Nature Conservation Agency (Dabas aizsardzības pārvalde – DAP) together with BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (BTA), engaged into the initiative “daruDABAI” (I‑do-it‑4-nature), keeps carrying out nature preservation joint community work across Latvia.

“Great impact on the quality of the diversity of Latvian nature has left the activity of people in various periods. As the effects of human activity, the biodiversity has decreased, with habitats vanishing and species populations decreasing. But, on the other hand, with the effort of people, the biodiversity can also be restored, by helping to maintain the natural processes and peculiarities. A very positive fact that a company is willing to take active involvement in the biodiversity maintenance initiative outside its daily business field and areas of direct concern, also encouraging its employees to involve into nature preservation activities,” says PDF director Jānis Rozītis.

A significant criterion that can be used as a benchmark to evaluate the level of “green”, is biodiversity, which can be improved by joint community work for nature preservation. Anyone can help to preserve or renew valuable, from the nature point of view, places, for instance, doing various kinds of work in swamps, flood plains, water basins and their coastal areas, forests, as well as assisting in efforts to control invasive plant species.

This year as well, a supporter of joint community work for nature preservation is BTA, which, just like last year, offers to its employees an opportunity to engage in nature preservation works and spend a day outside office premises, selecting a place and works to do according to one’s own capacity. The company staff, together with PDF and DAP will carry out nature revival activities in various regions of Latvia. The first location selected for that, was the territory of Gauja National Park. In the weeks to come, BTA employees will also be going to Grebļukalns nature reserve, which is situated in the remotest Latvian frontier, as well as joint work in nature park Piejūra, Slītere National Park and Ķemeri National Park. Nature revival activities are also arranged for Estonian and Lithuanian colleagues of BTA.

“We are truly delighted to contribute to this project of public importance not just by offering financial support, but digging in and engaging ourselves to do things to benefit Latvian nature. BTA as a socially responsible and digitally avant-garde company finds it important to preserve nature resources for future generations, an aspect that we take care on a daily basis. For instance, our office is a paper-less office, following the principle to decrease paper consumption to minimum and educate our clients and employees that way. Engaging in this project is an opportunity for our BTA colleagues to spend a day in an unofficial setting in fresh air, and also individually to recharge their batteries on the power and energy from the riches of the nature of Latvia,” says BTA Management Board Member Evija Matveja.

In order to be part of the daruDABAI initiative, those willing to join in are requested to contact the PDF office to locate the most suitable place for joint work and activities. Works are planned, demonstrated and supervised by experienced employees of nature protection field from DAP. Apart from the field work, the employees of DAP and PDF educate the community work volunteers on the significance of the works carried out and the natural values found within the particular area. Thus practical activity is combined with learning useful knowledge about plant and animal species, biotopes, work to be done there, and Latvian nature in general.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with 200 years of experience in the insurance industry. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 25,000 employees. Vienna Insurance Group AG is a clear leader in its core markets in Europe maintaining high rating of financial stability – Standard & Poor’s A+ (stable outlook), with a listing on the Vienna and the Prague Stock Exchange.

About PDF

Pasaules Dabas Fonds is the associate partner in Latvia of the World Wildlife Fund. Pasaules Dabas Fonds and WWF carry out joint campaigns and projects to achieve common goals. Pasaules Dabas Fonds operates in Latvia since 1991. The mission of the organization is to build a future, where people and nature coexist in harmony. The mission of Pasaules Dabas Fonds is nature protection to preserve the genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, to take care of non-depleting exploitation of renewable natural resources now and in the future, to help reducing the pollution and wasteful consumption of natural resources and energy.

Additional information:
Elīna Rasmane
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.rasmane@bta.lv