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CC 410 2021
Coincard
BU
Coincard
Lithuania · Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve
Mintage5,000
Issue price€9.00
Issue date19 May 2021
PackagingCoincard
Edge letteringLAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★ GEROVĖ ★
Market price€69.00
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in the UNESCO “Man and the Biosphere” Programme. The design depicts the characteristic lake and wetland landscape with islands and native animals: a Eurasian bittern and an fire-bellied toad, a aquatic warbler, a flock of cranes, and a mute swan as the reserve’s emblematic animal. The inscriptions read “LIETUVA”, “ŽUVINTAS” and “UNESCO”.
The design
The design depicts the characteristic landscape of the Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve, which is part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. It shows remote islands in a lake with numerous waterfowl and Lithuania’s largest wetland, with its native animals. In the foreground, a bittern is depicted attempting to snap at a fire-bellied toad swimming in the water. An aquatic warbler is perched in the rush plant shown on the right, with a flock of cranes above it and a mute swan, the emblematic animal of the reserve.
The design is surrounded by the inscriptions LIETUVA (LITHUANIA), ŽUVINTAS, UNESCO, the year of issue (2021), and the mark of the Lithuanian Mint.
The coin was designed by Eglė Ratkutė and Ernestas Žemaitis.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
The design is surrounded by the inscriptions LIETUVA (LITHUANIA), ŽUVINTAS, UNESCO, the year of issue (2021), and the mark of the Lithuanian Mint.
The coin was designed by Eglė Ratkutė and Ernestas Žemaitis.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
Žuvintas is located in southern Lithuania and comprises a mosaic of shallow lakes, extensive reed beds, bogs, wet meadows and forests. At its centre lies the heavily silting-up Žuvintas Lake. Sedimentation and the growth of aquatic and marsh vegetation continuously create new reed beds and floating plant islands there. The landscape, which is difficult to access, provides refuges for numerous migratory and breeding birds. At the same time, its condition is closely linked to the water regime and the use of the surrounding meadows and fields.
Protection of the area dates back to 1937. At the initiative of the Lithuanian zoologist and naturalist Tadas Ivanauskas, a protected area was established at Žuvintas Lake, particularly for the conservation of birdlife. It is regarded as the starting point of state-organised nature conservation in Lithuania. This early reserve later developed into a more comprehensive spatial protection concept that includes not only strictly protected areas but also adjacent landscapes and their use.
The UNESCO programme “Man and the Biosphere” (“Der Mensch und die Biosphäre”) was launched in 1971. Biosphere reserves are not conceived exclusively as natural areas shielded from human influence. They are intended to combine nature conservation, scientific observation and long-term sustainable use. They usually consist of core, buffer and transition zones. While natural processes and sensitive habitats are protected in the core zones, agriculture and forestry, settlements and other forms of use are possible under defined conditions in the other areas.
Žuvintas was included in the worldwide network of UNESCO biosphere reserves in 2011. The issue of the coin in 2021 therefore marked the tenth anniversary of this inclusion. The occasion linked an international UNESCO anniversary with the area’s longer history of Lithuanian nature conservation. The choice of a wetland also brought into focus a landscape type whose preservation depends not only on protecting individual animal species, but also on water levels, traditional grassland management and coordinated use throughout the entire catchment area.
Protection of the area dates back to 1937. At the initiative of the Lithuanian zoologist and naturalist Tadas Ivanauskas, a protected area was established at Žuvintas Lake, particularly for the conservation of birdlife. It is regarded as the starting point of state-organised nature conservation in Lithuania. This early reserve later developed into a more comprehensive spatial protection concept that includes not only strictly protected areas but also adjacent landscapes and their use.
The UNESCO programme “Man and the Biosphere” (“Der Mensch und die Biosphäre”) was launched in 1971. Biosphere reserves are not conceived exclusively as natural areas shielded from human influence. They are intended to combine nature conservation, scientific observation and long-term sustainable use. They usually consist of core, buffer and transition zones. While natural processes and sensitive habitats are protected in the core zones, agriculture and forestry, settlements and other forms of use are possible under defined conditions in the other areas.
Žuvintas was included in the worldwide network of UNESCO biosphere reserves in 2011. The issue of the coin in 2021 therefore marked the tenth anniversary of this inclusion. The occasion linked an international UNESCO anniversary with the area’s longer history of Lithuanian nature conservation. The choice of a wetland also brought into focus a landscape type whose preservation depends not only on protecting individual animal species, but also on water levels, traditional grassland management and coordinated use throughout the entire catchment area.