SUSTAINABLE AND BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF LITHUANIAN CURONIAN SPIT AND NERINGA MUNICIPALITY: PLANNING AND POLITICAL ASPECTS

There are some significant positive accents in the history of Curonian spit land use management as well as important negative factors, including political, professional and specific. The new Master plan for Neringa municipality was prepared trying to take a more modern path adopted to the unique territory, ensuring balance of social, economical and ecological development and preservation of its valuables. The general development strategy is formed harmonizing the following development trends basic for this kind of territory: 1) natural conservation, 2) cultural conservation and 3) recreation. Based on the existing or planned priorities, the following generalized sectors, reflecting the different structure of development strategy, were distinguished in the longitudinal profile of Curonian spit: strict natural and partly cultural conservation strategy, limited natural or natural-cultural conservation strategy, limited natural-cultural conservation and sustainable recreation and urban development strategy, limited cultural-natural conservation, sustainable recreation and limited urban development strategy, limited cultural-natural conservation, intensive recreation and limited urban development strategy. The ambitious political war between the State Service for Protected Areas and the Neringa Municipality cannot be regarded as the best way of finding solutions of ideological, legal or planning inconsistencies whereas the current countering to Master Plan and incorrect chicanery regarding its solutions is an expression of ambitions and "revenge" on the Neringa Municipality. Rational solution in the existing perverted situation is to go back to integrated planning of Curonian spit. This would offer a possibility to merge together in one planning document of the Curonian spit national park management plan and Master plans of Neringa and Klaipeda (Smiltyne zone) municipalities.