Lithuania proposes reducing hunting grounds for state projects

The Lithuanian Ministry of Environment supports a parliamentary proposal to allow hunting areas smaller than 1,000 hectares when land is needed for national defence, transport, energy, or other state-priority projects, LRT reports.

The government will review the ministry’s position after the Seimas requested input on amendments to the Hunting Law. A group of lawmakers has proposed reducing minimum hunting plot sizes if changes stem from government or parliamentary decisions—such as land acquisition for military training grounds, road or railway construction, or protected area expansion.

“Hunting plots could be smaller than 1,000 hectares when implementing projects of exceptional state importance, for example, establishing a new protected area where hunting is prohibited—but only in such cases,” Vilmantas Graičiūnas, an advisor at the ministry’s Wildlife Resource Management Policy Group, told BNS.

The ministry suggests permitting smaller plots from July onward if part of the land is taken for state needs and hunters cannot compensate for the loss elsewhere. Graičiūnas cited the expansion of the Tauragė military polygon, where the State Forest Enterprise voluntarily relinquished a professional hunting plot as compensation for affected hunters.

To prevent fragmentation, the ministry also proposes that state-designated areas—such as military zones or reserves—intersecting a hunting plot should not disrupt its continuity. “Animals freely migrate between these areas, so hunters can still lure and hunt them successfully, even on smaller plots, by attracting wildlife from the entire original territory,” Graičiūnas explained.

Additionally, the ministry recommends issuing permits for hunting resources without competitive bidding when plots are adjusted due to state projects. This would address cases where unassigned land parcels could otherwise leave farmers without protection from wildlife damage to crops or forests.