The first plot in Dzūkija National Park has already been protected. Support our work.

Let’s preserve the
unique nature of the Dainava region

Be part of the solution
Be part of the solution

The Dainava region is home to old pine forests, impassable wetlands, and colourful sandy meadows. Every habitat here is unique, important, and fragile. Let us preserve them for future generations.

Forests
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A defining natural value of the Dainava region is its mature pine forest, home to many rare and endangered species. These woods shelter capercaillie, very rare great grey owls, short-toed snake eagles, elusive lynx, dormice, green woodpeckers, and many other insects, plants, and fungi that depend on undisturbed, mature forests.
Wetlands and marshes
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‍Wetlands, marshes, a dense river network, and small water bodies are inseparable from the Dainava landscape. These damp places provide habitat for European pond turtles, fire-bellied toads, tree frogs, common redshanks, black grouse, insect-eating plants such as round-leaved sundews, and many other rarely seen species.
Meadows
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‍Sandy, colourful meadows are one of the most distinctive features of the Dainava region. They support threatened plants, insects, and butterflies. These habitats are vital for amphibians, reptiles, herbivores, and birds of open landscapes. On sandy forest clearings, you can also find pasqueflowers, Dianthus arenarius, and many other exceptionally rare plants.
The foundation’s goals and community
We restore and protect

The Dainava Nature Foundation seeks to restore and protect forests, meadows, wetlands, and other natural habitats within the historic territory of the Dainava forest. Our goal is to preserve the region’s unique biodiversity and places that matter to both people and wildlife.
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We build together

The foundation brings together volunteers, scientists, and supporters. Every contribution matters — from sharing information and helping in fieldwork to supporting research and ensuring sustainable long-term nature protection.
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Community
Join

Become a volunteer, spread the word, help create privately protected areas, donate funds or land, and support their long-term protection. Every step you take helps preserve the biodiversity and uniqueness of the Dainava region.
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Why protect it?

Due to intensive human activity, natural habitats are rapidly disappearing, along with the native species that depend on them. By protecting the forests, meadows, wetlands, and other natural habitats of this region, we aim to preserve the unique nature of Dainava and the biodiversity it sustains. These places are inseparable from local identity and home to thousands of native species.
Insufficient nature protection
Although a large part of the Dainava region lies within Dzūkija National Park, that does not guarantee comprehensive protection. Economic activity, including logging, is still allowed in national parks. Only reserve areas are fully protected from such activity, but they make up just 17 percent of the park and are strictly off-limits to visitors.
Every species matters
In nature, no species is insignificant — each one is part of a complex and fragile web. When one disappears, its whole environment is weakened. Entire food chains are disrupted and balances formed over millennia begin to collapse. Nature works like a living whole. When we lose one part of it, all of us begin to unravel. By protecting even the smallest and least known species, we protect the whole habitat and all life within it — including ourselves.
Nature is part of identity
Forests are an inseparable part of life in the Dainava region. For centuries they have fed, warmed, and sheltered local communities. The forests of Dainava are not only nature — they are memory, identity, and a living bond with the land. Let us preserve these forests for future generations, so they remain part of everyday life, not only of stories and memories.

How to help
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Become a volunteer

Join the foundation’s work by contributing your time and knowledge. Fill in the volunteer form.
Volunteer form

Protect a piece of land that matters to you

Do you own land you want to preserve? Limit intensive activity, pay attention to valuable habitats, and check whether your land falls within a protected area.
More information

Donate

Your support helps safeguard the Dainava region. You can support the foundation by donating 1.2% of your income tax in Lithuania.
Donate
Foundation statutes
Public institution “Dainava Nature Foundation”, code 305433631
info@dgf.lt