The Nature Research Centre has issued a book “Šepeta. Paaukotos pelkės istorija”, compiled and edited by Dr I. Jukonienė. This collection of scientific articles is about a lost bog, which according to its nature values could have become a nature reserve just like the Kamanos Strict Nature Reserve, another bog that was investigated between the wars. Today, Šepeta is mainly known for its peat substrate extraction.
Information on the vegetation complexes of this former raised bog (about 1400 ha area) with almost 100 small lakes and with dwarf birches is available only in the book “Šepeta. Aukštapelkio monografija” issued in 1940 and in a few publications by interwar researchers.
The articles by Ilona Jukonienė, Aurika Ričkienė, Zofija Sinkevičienė, Agnė Bagušinskaitė, Vita Monkuvienė and Judita Koreivienė describe the remnants of the already-changed bog vegetation, with a particular focus on the condition of the dwarf birch. To give a detailed picture of the former bog, the herbarium collections in Lithuanian and Polish herbariums, the manuscripts and published material on investigations into the Šepeta bog and its vegetation, and cartographic material were analysed. The enthusiasts of interwar Lithuania, led by Kazys Brundza and Vincas Vilkaitis, who explored and described the Šepeta bog and the Kamanos raised bog and laid the foundation for the Lithuanian wetland research and created the Lithuanian terminology of wetlands are remembered with great respect.
The book contains a very detailed bibliographical index compiled by Sigita Dagienė, which includes publications on the Šepeta bod and its surroundings.
Such systematised data are important as archives of Lithuanian natural history, preserving records of the biodiversity of the extinct bog and valuable for the assessment of changes in the status of rare species and habitats in Lithuania and for the formation of public attitudes towards the importance of wetlands.
An opportunity to carry out this research has emerged after the Research Council of Lithuania funded the 2022-2024 project “Šepeta. Wetland vegetation in the context of historical research and landscape changes”. For Dr I Jukonienė and Dr A. Ričkienė, this is the third project successfully implemented under the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme 2016-2024.
