In order to preserve protected areas and to reduce their devastation, it is important to know the most common violations of these areas. The created map will provide the information about areas where the damage occurs most often. The Nemunas Loops Regional Park was selected for the research, the main aim of which was to identify the most common violations and the most problematic areas. The objectives of this research were to carry out a detailed analysis of violations in the Nemunas Loops Regional Park and protected areas for 2007- 2014 period of time and to create a dot distribution map of these violations. The main tasks were the following: 1) to review the aim of the Nemunas Loops Regional Park establishment, prohibited and promotional activities, 2) to carry out the classification of violations in these areas during 2007-2013 according to the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Lithuania, 3) to group the violations of 2007-2013 according to the timing and to create a dot distribution map in order to provide its application possibilities. The study led to the following conclusions: most violations were made contrary to the requirements of the protected areas (Clause 76). For instance, arbitrary constructed mobile homes, environmental pollution, violations of visiting regime in the nature reservation, water protection requirements (Clause 55), parking a car in the protected area of the water reservoir, agricultural land, storing agricultural equipment which is not used etc. The map highlights the most problematic areas where violations occur every year. These are: Punios Šilas Strict Nature Reserve and the areas around it, Pociūnai and Balbieriškis towns, Birštonas. In 2014 the form of reports was changed and it was not possible to analyse the violations in detail. It was a negative factor for this research because no accurate violations and areas could be recorded. For this reason the map was not created. 230 various violations happened in the Nemunas Loops Regional Park during the period of 2007-2014. The created map can be used as an additional measure for prevention of violations.

Declaration data of farming land and crop are analyzed in the article. Ukmergė district is chosen for the more detailed analysis. Statistical data of farmers and other land users are analyzed in the article; the declaration data of farming land and crop are analyzed and mathematical statistical dependence between the declared area and soil productivity index is determined. The results show that there are 2,506 registered farms in Ukmergė district and they manage the area of 18,430.07 hectares. The average parcel size amount to 7.35 ha. The number of farming persons in Ukmergė district as well as in Lithuania have considerably decreased during 7 years period. In 2014, the number of farming persons was by 38.12 percent smaller in Ukmergė district and by 41.24 percent in the whole territory of Lithuania compared to 2007. The comparison of the declaration data of 2011 with the data of 2014 shows that the declared area of farming land and crop in Ukmergė district has increased by 2.46 percent although the number of received applications has decreased by 22.2 percent. During the period of 2011– 2014 the majority of assessed applications were received in 2013, i.e., 99.04 percent of all applications received that year. It shows that the size of land parcels has increased. Cereal crops (oat, wheat, triticale, barley, rye, buckwheat and corn) composed the major part of the declared areas in Ukmergė district in 2013-2014 (48.84 percent of all declared crops in 2013 and 53.79 percent in 2014). The analysed agricultural holding “Egvila” during 2011–2014 period declared the area of approximately 272 hectares annually. This company grows white clover for seed, timothy for seed and cumin. Direct payments are received for all land areas. The analysis shows that farmers generally declared their own land. The analysis of the declared land distribution in Ukmergė district by land property right shows that 75 percent of the declared land are private and the remaining 25 percent are leased either from the state or from natural persons.

The article presents the Lithuanian forest land change in the period of more than a hundred years. The causes leading to forest land use change are analysed in the article. The beginning of forestry in Lithuania can be traced back to Sigismund Augustus times starting from 1557, when Wallach reform was launched. However, over time forest land and its use evolved for a variety of political, social and economic factors. In 1795 the state-owned forests in Lithuania amounted to 35% of the total area of forests; other forests were owned by landlords, churches and kulak farms. Later forests were cut down quite rapidly, many of them burned down, but reforestation work was insignificant. The smallest forest coverage during the analysed period was in 1945, just 16.5%. Forests were thinned out, wastelands and waterlogged areas dominated. Later, albeit with different variations, the forest coverage of Lithuania increased and today forest area accounts for more than 34% of the total area of the country, the majority of which are private forests. More detailed characteristics of forest land use and user trends as well as their causes are presented in the article. It also looks at the possible prospects.

The media frequently refers to the concept of abandoned land. The reasons for its occurrence are discussed and the ways to diminish the problem are being searched for. Various sources of information were used for the research. They enabled the authors to identify the concept of abandoned lands. In addition, the situation of abandoned lands was analysed and causes of occurrence of such lands in one cadastral area of mid-Lithuania municipality were defined. According to the set of data, concerning abandoned lands (AŽ_DRLT), the data, provided in the mentioned data set and the data obtained during field testing were compared. The survey of the terrain was conducted in the early autumn of 2013 and repeated in the late spring of 2014. In order to find out why the land was abandoned, the surveyor of cadastral area was additionally interviewed. On the basis of the latest data of 2014, 123 spaces of abandoned lands, which occupy 59.74 ha, were found in Sujainai cadastral area. Having analysed the set of abandoned land data, it was identified that boundaries of 95 abandoned plots corresponded to the situation in the area, whereas boundaries of 28 areas should be corrected. Moreover, the abandoned areas that had not been marked were found while the land abandonment in the terrain was obvious. Although the amount of abandoned land is decreasing in both the area analysed and throughout Lithuania, the situation is not favourable. Having conducted the research, it was found that the main reasons for land abandonment in Sujainai cadastral area were as follows: poor fertility in non-productive lands (up to 32 points) and reclamation; no potential land consumers, purchasers or tenants of land areas of high productivity or it is complicated and expensive to pursue agricultural activity there.

The article presents the analysis of the change of land users in the Republic of Lithuania during the period between 1919 and 1940. The main factor affecting the relationship of land and its use was the political changes in the country, whereas economic and social aspects had less influence. During the period between 1919 and 1939 the land reform of independent Lithuania not only strengthened the country's agriculture, but also laid the foundations for the entire nation-state, it was one of the most significant achievements of independence, a real agrarian revolution, which intensified the land use. The main goal of the land reform was to alienate and distribute the state land and the land of large estates to peasants and to complete distribution of village land into individual farmsteads. Landlords were left inalienable 80 hectares (later 150 ha) of land area. The land from the State Land Fund was distributed to volunteers and new settlers (the landless) peasants up to 8-10 ha, to estate workers and rural craftsmen – up to 1.5-2 ha, as well as to poor peasants, state enterprises, farms and forestries, etc.

The aim of the research is to assess the system peculiarities in terms of green areas and plantations in Kaunas. Together with the analysis of Kaunas recreational system, the problems of the system of green areas functioning in the city emerged, because urbanization in the city has split up the system of green plantations into small areas and violated their functions. The available General Plans of the city have already attempted to improve the current situation. However, the real endeavours or actions taken, which could shape or structure the unified system of the territorial greenery are very insignificant. The location of territorial green plantations in Kaunas is not equivalent, the majority of them coincide with the green plantations of the local residential areas, but in the newly developed neighbourhoods could be vividly witnessed the shortage of green areas. To optimize the system of green plantations of the city it is suggested, when designing new residential areas to be developed, to plan areas for greenery, introduce green connections into the system of green plantations, to create migration corridors and structure the integral system of green areas.

Economic and social problems and emerged threat to human life are the main reasons for abandonment of buildings or even the whole cities in different countries. Mainly abandoned buildings are found in the USA and in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Abandoned buildings in Kaunas city are analysed in the article; their condition is assessed and the ways for handling are proposed. The legal status and the purpose of use of abandoned buildings in Kaunas city are also defined. There are 46 abandoned buildings in Kaunas city. The majority of them are located in Šančiai neighbourhood, but the least amount – in Vilijampolė and Gričiupis neighbourhoods. As regards the purpose of the use, 85 percent of abandoned buildings in Kaunas city are attributed to non-residential buildings, and 44 percent of them are former industrial buildings. Due to the condition of constructions, threat to people and environment, as well as visual appearance, the state of 72 percent of abandoned buildings is poor. 52 percent of abandoned buildings are ascribed to be demolished, while the remaining 48 percent of buildings could be repaired or renovated.

The analysis of the current situation of Aukštadvaris Regional Park and ecological farming (RP), which is in southeastern Lithuania, is presented in the article. The Paluknys subdistrict was chosen for the comparison of the use of ecological farming in the regional park. Ecological farming is relevant to protected areas. The aim of the study was to perform the analysis of farms applying organic farming measures as well as the analysis of the change of their areas in Aukštadvaris regional park (RP). Comparative, analytical as well as statistical and logical analysis methods were used for the investigation. The object of the investigation - the farms of Aukštadvaris Regional Park. The study was carried out to determine how many farms, forming the territory of the regional parks, are managed according to the principles of organic farming. The change of the abovementioned farming area for 2011-2013 is analysed as well. Paluknys subdistrict, not incorporated into the territory of regional parks, was chosen for the comparative analysis. The analysis of the 2011-2013 period showed that the number of organic farms increased by 1.5 times in Aukštadvaris RP over the period of 2011-2013, and the area has increased by 187.36 ha. The percentage calculations revealed that in 2013 the area of farms applying organic farming measures in Aukštadvaris RP made up 18.89 per cent of the total area declared, the number of farms - 6.61 per cent.

The systemized and methodically arranged according to the principles of geographic information systems set of the most important objects of Lithuanian territory’s geodetic base and topographic databases (GDR10LT) is collected and kept in data storage and covers the whole territory of Lithuania. The purpose of the georeferential base GDR10LT at the scale 1:10 000 is to collect, keep, use, renew and provide data to users. The literature analysis shows that the majority of authors presented studies about data composition and application but they did not analyse their reliability. The aim of the research was to revise the chosen territory of the georeferential base map by the field method and to determine the discrepancies between the situation in the area and in the map as well as the reasons of such discrepancies. It was necessary to verify the data reliability and outdated map information due to changes of the situation. The field research was conducted in three different areas, and the data was processed using tools provided by www.zis.lt. Statistical data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel software. The object of the research was information depicted in georeferential base map (GDR10LT) of the chosen territories. The following research methods were used: literature analysis, analysis of cartography material, collation of field data, statistical data processing, and interviews. The conclusion can be made that GDR10LT data are reliable; two mistakes were found in the plot of 6407.5 hectares: a navigational obstacle and 800 metres of asphalt cover were not marked. Other determined discrepancies covered the territory of 17.46 hectares. The outdated map information was found. The marking of settlements generally were mismatched because of many new buildings in the area that were not mapped. Therefore GDR10LT should be updated more often in accordance with ORT10LT data.

Development and management of green area systems is important to both the environment and a person. It bears social, economic, and ecological significance. This system must comply with principles of sustainable spatial development. Therefore, well-developed systems of green areas must become the basic aim of all cities. Marijampolė, the seventh biggest city of Lithuania was selected as the research object. In the article the system of Marijampolė city green areas is analysed. Two surveys, which included questionnaires, were conducted, i.e. city inhabitants and territory-planning and management specialists were interviewed. It was identified that the system of Marijampolė green areas is not balanced and there are enough green areas only in part. However, the current parks, squares and other green spaces do not ensure full-fledged citizens’ life. Marijampolė lacks equipped, applied to various activities local green areas for different age groups of the community, the development and maintenance of which must primarily be the inhabitants’ concern.