The article presents the analysis of the current situation of the damaged land in Klaipeda County. The study found that the number of affected areas in the county – 266. Because the damaged areas consist of mineral quarries and territories occupied by dumps, the article contains the description and condition of these areas. It was found that mostly sand deposits (60) predominate in Klaipeda County, of which only 8 are used. The smallest number of the deposits – the salt deposits (2). The mainly used deposits in the county are sand and gravel deposits – 29, unused – sand deposits (52). The Klaipeda municipal waste management region comprises 7 municipalities, 39 old landfills and dumps were shut down. At present, 1 regional non-hazardous waste landfill has been arranged. In Klaipeda County, in 2015, damaged land occupied 2,391.06 hectares and amounted to 0.46 percent of the county’s area. During the period between the years 2005 and 2015 the damaged land area in Klaipeda County increased by 130.25 hectares. The analysis of the damaged land by type of ownership showed that the damaged land areas in private land increased by 75.54 hectares or 58.52 percent. In the state land, the damaged land area decreased by 442.35 hectares or 20.04 percent.

The aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities of detection and reduction of land degradation in Smarde municipality rural territory (56°57′18″ N; 23°20′17″ E). To carry out land degradation prevention measures, initially the territories of degraded land should be determined. This paper highlights the field inspection method. For territory inspection a model was used that gave the opportunity to identify degradation types with their characteristic features and possibilities to reduce the land degradation. The territory of Smarde municipality rural territory was inspected in nature and degraded territories identified. The costs of land degradation elimination depend on the type of land degradation. In territories where the land degradation reduction or elimination has been done, its control has to continue in order to stop the development of land degradation.

Aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities of application of orthophoto maps in determination of land degradation. One of the forms of remote sensing is aerial photography. Orthophoto maps are made from aerial photography with specialized software orthophoto maps were analysed in perspective for several years – from 2005 to 2011.The results are based on the expert. With each year possibilities of application of orthophoto maps are expanding. During the research, data of survey and SWOT analysis of determination of land degradation by orthophoto maps. The study results prove that based on orthophoto maps mainly, it can be detected the following land degradation processes – agricultural land overgrowing with bushes and abandonment of built-up areas.

One of the most pressing problems of sustainable spatial development in Latvia is the existence of degraded areas. To address the issues of revitalization of degraded territories and to ensure sustainable development of the territory, Latvian municipalities could apply for support under the Specific Support Objective 5.6.2 (SSO 5.6.2) ‘Revitalization of territories through regeneration of degraded territories in accordance with integrated development program of municipalities’ during the European Union (EU) Structural Funds programming period 2014–2020. According to the Ministry of Finance (MF) data on project costs, it was found that during the implementation of the projects for revitalization of degraded territories, the local governments have not ensured an effective project management process in accordance with the implementation requirements of SSO 5.6.2, resulting in irregularities detected in the audits carried out on the projects, which have led to the decision on inappropriately performed expenses (IPE). Considering that the deadline for the implementation of projects under the 2014–2020 EU funds programming period is 31.12.2023, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of IPE to identify the reasons for the occurrence of IPE and to plan timely preventive actions to eliminate mistakes in the new programming period 2021–2027. The relevance and importance of the study lies in the analysis of the factors holding projects back - mistakes and irregularities and their prevention to ensure an efficient project management process.