Employees of BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter - BTA) in all the Baltic States have spent this October by going on Nature Holidays. In Latvia, these activities took place in cooperation with Pasaules Dabas Fonds (hereinafter - PDF) and the Latvian Nature Conservation Agency. The design of Nature Holidays means focused volunteer work for nature rehabilitation, supporting natural processes and creating natural environment. In these joint volunteer community work sessions BTA even in Latvia only has completed the work equal to nine weeks or more than two months of one person's efforts.

BTA is a socially responsible company, and, as BTA focuses on maximizing its digitalization and moving towards electronic processes, the company's chosen social responsibility vector is to preservation and renewal of natural resources. Autumn is an excellent time for volunteer work for nature preservation, as human presence cannot accidentally disturb, for example, nesting birds, therefore BTA employees went on Nature Holidays in October.

160 employees of BTA Latvia in their Nature Holidays spare more than a two-month work of park maintenance staff

Together with Pasaules Dabas Fonds, the associate partner of the World Wildlife Fund in Latvia, in various corners of Latvia were selected five significant wildlife territories in need for some trimming and renovation to sustain the natural processes therein, which otherwise are disturbed or ruined as a result of human activities. The first volunteer work session of BTA employees together with environmental experts took place in Nature Park Pape. 29 BTA employees cleared the flooded meadows from shrubbery, while in Pitrags, a place within Slītere National Park, 22 volunteers put their hand to covering up a cable ditch and improvement of costal landscape. In nature reserve Eglone, 20 BTA employees helped to clear shrubbery and fallen trees off great oaks. The largest number of volunteers (more than 40 employees in each joint work session) was assembled by the activity of clearing Randu meadows – the wetland meadows – clearing them of reeds and grass, and clearing the island of Kaņiera Lake in Ķemeri National Park of shrubbery, which finalized the nature revival activities cycle on the 25^th October.

Jānis Lucaus, BTA Management Board Chairman, was happy for the great responsiveness of BTA employees, their involvement and accomplishments in Nature Holidays. “We invited our company employees to volunteer to spend a working day to social activities by taking part in wildlife restoration events. A total of nearly 200 volunteered. The responsiveness of colleagues was amazing, despite the volatile weather in October, although some still were not able to come due to a sudden illness or another unexpected reasons. On the day, when we completed our Nature Holidays cycle in Ķemeri National Park, we were surprised by the first snow, although otherwise Mother Nature was kind by responding to our efforts to help her by granting us with weather conditions quite fit for what we did. The sense of satisfaction for what was accomplished is immense, and our team is of the same opinion that we have to carry on with nature restoration activities next year as well,” says Jānis Lucaus.

PDF director Jānis Rozītis is very grateful for BTA’s interest to take part in Nature Holidays and emphasizes that BTA have managed to accomplish a work amount that equals that of more than two months of park maintenance staff member’s work. “We are so happy that BTA chose to engage in our Nature Holidays project this year, which is a valuable and very necessary initiative. Each year we get to hear about littered waste collection volunteer activities, and hopes for a greener Latvia are voiced against this backdrop. Any clean up works are good and welcome, but, when the green prospective is the focus, then biodiversity is what really matters. Nature conservation volunteer work is one of the ways to preserve and to sustain it. All these small bits of work – clearing off shrubs, burning, eradication of invasive species, grass trimming and collection, such and other similar things cannot happen without human involvement. In volunteer work for the Nature’s cause, any volunteer involved can quite directly see the yield of his or her effort, coming back in a year and having a look, how improvements work for the nature – more space for birds, protected flora, more power for natural meadows and great trees. We do look forward that the example of BTA is going to be followed also by other organizations and their staff, so that joint volunteer work sessions for nature protection became an activity self-evident to everyone," says Jānis Rozītis.

BTA’s Nature Holidays in Lithuania and Estonia especially important for preservation of protected species

BTA’s Nature Holidays were held in our neighbouring countries – in Lithuania and Estonia as well. Approximately 50 volunteers – BTA Lithuanian branch employees engaged in nature restoration works in three nature parks in order to preserve biodiversity, creating friendlier environment for rare flora species. A swamp in Labanoras regional park got cleared of reeds and pines that blocked out the sunlight from rare bog vegetation and denied the bog ecosystem good development. Volunteers in Kaunas Lagoon regional park cleaned up the castle mound and improved the environment for the rare vegetation there. The territory of Maritime National park also got some trimming.

BTA’s volunteer work in Estonia took place in Sipa village, where BTA employees helped to clear meadows, where the occurrence of various plant species is approximately 40 per one square metre. Trees and shrubs blocking sunlight from plants got trimmed or removed.

BTA and PDF suggest everyone be responsible, protect the nature of Latvia and take care for its protection and preservation for future generations.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is a major insurance company in the Baltic States, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG, one of the leading insurers in Europe with 190 years of experience in the insurance field. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 24,000 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

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. The organization operates in Latvia since 1991. In 2005, the organization was registered as foundation with a name Pasaules Dabas Fonds. Pasaules Dabas Fonds in 2005 entered into a cooperation agreement with the most influential nature protection organization – World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Pasaules Dabas Fonds and WWF carry out common campaigns and projects to achieve common goals.

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