Project 4β Impact: How Sengirės Fondas Used Public Web Data to Secure 11.4 Hectares in Trako Miškas

From Listing Scan to Lasting Protection

A few months ago, we shared how Sengirės Fondas (Ancient Woods Foundation) began using Oxylabs’ Web Unblocker to scan hundreds of online real estate listings across Lithuania. The goal was straightforward: help a small, dedicated team spot biologically critical forest plots that might otherwise slip by unnoticed.

Today, that workflow has delivered a tangible milestone. The Foundation has officially completed the buyout of an 11.4-hectare plot in Trako Miškas, located in the Lazdijai district. It is a diverse, mature forest that will now be permanently protected from commercial logging and human interference.

Finding the listing before private developers or commercial loggers required continuous monitoring of the public market. With automated public web data gathering in place, the team identified the opportunity early, evaluated the site against their strict scientific criteria, and moved forward with the purchase.

Inside the New Forest: Trako Miškas

The newly acquired plot is a thriving, mixed-species forest between 71 and 116 years old, home to hornbeams, pines, spruces, black alders, and birches growing on fertile, dark soil with varied terrain and clear signs of active wildlife. It belongs to the IIA ecosystem protection group, sits within both the Meteliai Regional Park and the Trako Botanical-Zoological Reserve, and holds three distinct Habitats of European Community Importance types: Fennoscandian herb-rich forests with Picea abies, Fennoscandian deciduous swamp woods and swamp hardwood forests, and Transition mires and quaking bogs. 

Join Project 4β

Project 4β is Oxylabs’ pro bono program providing public web data collection infrastructure, technical resources, and advisory support to organizations working on environmental protection, academic research, public health, and investigative journalism.

If your organization has data-gathering needs that can advance your research or public-interest mission, you can apply through our web form or reach out directly to 4beta@oxylabs.io.