The humble Latvian bog could play an important role in protecting the country’s eastern border, the National Armed Forces (NBS) said September 22nd.
“The National Armed Forces support the revitalization of historical peat extraction sites on Latvia’s eastern border – their restoration can be a significant contribution to strengthening the country’s defensive capabilities, serving as natural barriers on Latvia’s eastern border,” the NBS said in a release.
Making the most of bog bastions involves the restoration of bogs, waters, marshland and forests in historic degraded peat extraction sites, the armed forces added.
“The restoration of bog ecosystems not only facilitates protection operations, but also allows for the reduction of material and technical and personnel resources [that need to be used along the border],” it said.
Joint revitalization plans for historical peat extraction sites are being developed by municipalities using EU funding and “It is particularly important to focus on those historical peat extraction sites where the restoration of bog ecosystems would most directly contribute to the construction of the Baltic defense line on the eastern border,” the NBS pointed out.
The linking of bogs and military action is nothing new in Latvia. As well as serving as refuges for partisans in previous conflicts (with Stompaku bog being just one example), several bogs also have legends about invaders’ tanks and other military equipment sinking without trace when they made ill-advised attempts to cross the bog.
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