Photo of Forest Trail, Curonian Spit, Lithuania

-- Pine tree forest at a trail near Nida, largest town in the Curonian Spit (Kursiu Nerija), a 98km long, 0.4 to 4km wide, curved sand dune peninsula that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The northernmost 53km belong to Lithuania, forming the Kursiu Nerija National Park, and the remaining part belongs to Russia's Kaliningrad region. Although Europe's highest moving dune is located here, existing vegetation plays an important role in holding the dunes' movements. This fragile ecosystem hosts a wide variety of animals, including 300 species of birds and big game such as elk and deer, all protected nowadays. About 70% of the park area is covered by forest, mostly conifers, about half of which is reforestation. The Curonian Spit was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, as an outstanding example of a natural landscape that is under constant threat from natural forces (wind and tide).