Latvian Ministry Again Plans to Separate Botanical Garden from Nature Conservation Agency
Less than a year after Latvia's National Botanical Garden was merged into the Nature Conservation Agency, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development now wants to split them apart again. The plan was reported by Latvian Television's "De facto" program.
Earlier this year, Latvia's National Botanical Garden (NBD) was merged into the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP), a move intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve administrative efficiency. However, according to Latvian Television's investigative program "De facto," the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) is now planning to reverse that decision and separate the two institutions once again.
A short-lived merger
The original merger was meant to simplify the management structure and reduce administrative burden by bringing the botanical garden under the nature agency's umbrella. Yet less than a year later, VARAM appears to have concluded that the opposite step is needed — returning to the previous arrangement in which the National Botanical Garden operated as an independent institution.
The source report does not detail the specific reasons behind the new decision, but the fact that a reversal is being considered so soon after the reorganization suggests that the merger did not achieve the outcomes originally intended.
What comes next
News of the planned separation emerged through LTV's "De facto" program, which drew attention to the situation within state administration bodies. It remains unclear when the planned changes might take effect or how they would affect the daily operations of either institution.
