Latvia will restore the National Botanical Garden’s independent status

Latvia’s National Botanical Garden in Salaspils will be separated from the Nature Conservation Agency and regain independent institutional status next year, LSM reported. The government backed amendments to the regulations governing the garden, the agency and the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development on Tuesday.

The garden became part of the agency on January 1 this year, following a decision by the previous government. This summer, after Andris Kulbergs’ government took office, the current sectoral minister, Edgars Tavars, began preparing to reverse the move, calling it a mistake and citing a decline in the garden’s operating indicators since it joined the agency. The decision had been postponed several times since September.

The minister said that, as an agency unit, the garden had achieved 72.56% of its overall revenue plan, while ticket sales had reached 89.7% of the target. During the first eight months of this year, visitor numbers fell by 24,004, or about 41%. Ticket revenue declined by 8,235 euros, or about 3.5%, despite an increase in admission prices in 2026.

Tavars said a separate institution would distinguish the garden’s specialised functions more clearly from the agency’s core remit. However, Latvian Television’s De facto programme previously reported that the decline in the main revenue categories cited by the minister was not evident in the agency’s data. The Finance Ministry, led by a representative of Tavars’ own political party, also opposed the reform.

The garden’s initial transfer to the agency was intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve management.