| Description : The Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve is located in southern
Lithuania, south‐east of the town of Marijampolė, in Šešupė the catchment basin area of the
Dovinė River. The reserve includes the Žuvintas marsh, the Žuvintas and Amalva wetlands,
the Bukta forest and Lake Žaltytis and has more than 4,200 species of animals, plants and fungi. With an area
of 5,442 hectares, it is not only the largest nature reserve in the country, but also the oldest ‐ the reserve
was established in 1937. In 2002 it became Lithuania's first biosphere reserve and in 2011 it was included in the network
of UNESCO biosphere reserves. In addition to about 2,000 insect, 5 reptile, 10 amphibian, 45 mammal and
22 fish species, it provides habitat for more than 240 bird species. The shallow lakes of Žuvintas and
Amalva, overgrown with reeds and rushes, are home to one of the largest populations of wood pigeons, reed buntings and
plovers, and provide resting places for thousands of migrating cranes and greylag geese. The wetlands of Žuvintas are
home to one of Europe's rarest songbirds, the warbler. The coin, designed by Eglė Ratkutė and Ernestas
Žemaitis, shows a bittern on a grassy island lying in wait for a fire‐bellied toad swimming in the water.
A mute swan, the heraldic animal of the reserve, flies above a sedge warbler clinging to a cattail leaf. In addition, four
cranes are depicted in flight at the top left of the coin. At the top of the coin is "LIETUVA" (Lithuania) the country of
issue,at the bottom "ŽUVINTAS" and "UNESCO" (acronym of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation) below it. On the right is the year of issue "2021" and on the bottom left is the circular mint mark "LMK" of
the Lithuanian mint Lietuvos monetų kalykla in Vilnius. By mistake, parts of the coins intended for coin cards
were provided with prefabricated edges intended for Latvia, and thus bear the incorrect edge lettering "DIEVS ★
SVĒTĪ ★ LATVIJU ★" instead of the correct inscription "LAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★
GEROVĖ ★". |
