The Venta Regional Park protects the landscape of the Venta foothills, its natural ecosystem and cultural heritage values. It was established to preserve::

• The landscape of the Venta valley with its distinctive slopes, outcrops with Jurassic fossil fauna complexes, and the natural hydrographic network of the Venta and its tributaries - the Virvytė, Uogis, Ažvilis, and Dabikinė streams;
• cultural heritage assets;
• the stability of the natural ecosystem, the components of the biota, the distinctive flora and fauna.

The morphological structure of the park has been created by the mid-sized river valley erosional and hydrological processes with the adjoining forest stands of average size. The distinctiveness of the Venta and Virvyčia loops has been increased by the defensive castle mounds.

The landscape diversity of the Venta Regional Park has been created by the following major landscape types: little forested, cultivated and little urbanized terrace meandering valley, little cultivated small steep-sloped erosional valleys, forested sandy glacio-fluvial plains and terraces, forested sandy glaciolacustrine plains, forested morainic plains, cultivated morainic plains, swampy wetland complexes, forested and little cultivated erosional valleys and small valleys, erosional slopes, quarry lakelets, and landscape developments of various types.

The total number of plant species is 699 of which 1 is protected by the European Community, and 31 are included in Lithuania’s Red Data Book. The total number of animal species is 405. Mammals – 37, of these 3 are protected by the European Community, and 2 are included into the Lithuania’s Red Data Book. Birds – 144, of these 21 are protected by the European Community, and 10 are included into the Lithuania’s Red Data Book. Fishes – 28, of these 5 are protected by the European Community, and 1 is included into the Lithuania’s Red Data Book. Amphibians and reptiles – 12, of these 1 is included into the Lithuania’s Red Data Book. Invertebrates – 780, of these 13 are included into the Lithuania’s Red Data Book.

The following zones have been established in the Venta Regional Park to protect its natural and cultural heritage values: 1 strict nature reserve and 8 reserves (3 landscape, 1 geomorphological, 3 hydrographical, 1 botanical-zoological, and 1 urban).

The Purviai Strict Nature Reserve has been established to protect the unique natural complex consisting of the natural section of the Uogys Stream, mature spruce and aspen tree forests with the growing sites of the protected plants, and nesting as well as feeding grounds of the protected birds Clanga pomarina, Picus viridis, Ciconia nigra, and abundant entomofauna.

The landscape reserves have been established to protect: Venta – the Venta River valley landscape with distinctive Venta valley formed by deepening and side erosion, the unique Papilė exposure containing fossilised fauna from the Jurassic period, the Papilė Fifteen Trunk Linden Tree, other objects of natural and cultural heritage, and the urban structure of the old part of the Papilė town; Virvytė – the landscape of the natural valley of the lower reaches of Virvytė River with the habitats of Crex crex and Alcedo, the Gyvoliai castle mound, Skleipiai Stone, and other values of natural and cultural heritage; Uogys – the complex of the Uogys stream and the surrounding forests characterised by large diversity of natural conditions, flora and fauna with especially abundant populations of Orchis morio, Orchis mascula, Orchis militaris, and the habitats of the protected birds – Clanga pomarina, Ciconia nigra.

The Purvėnai Geomorphological Reserve has been established to protect the distinctive section of the Venta River valley with the Purviai remnant and Purviai exposure. The hydrographical reserves have been established to protect: Avižlis – the natural lower reaches of Avižlis River – an example of small tributaries of the Venta River; Dabikinė – the natural swampy valley of the lower reaches of the Dabikinė River.

The Užpelkiai Botanical-Zoological Reserve has been established to protect the especially valuable from the biological perspective complex of the natural valley of Avižlis River valley and the surrounding forests with the typical river valley plant communities, abundant entomofauna, growing sites of the protected plant species, and the habitats of the protected water and wetland birds. The Viekšniai Urban Reserve has been established to protect the historical (layout, spatial, volumetric) structure of the historical part of Viekšniai town, the traditional development type of the territory and individual plots, traditional architectural expression of buildings, the complex of the John the Babtist’s Church buildings, other objects of cultural heritage, and their surrounds.

There are 6 state protected natural heritage objects in the Venta Regional Park, of these 2 are natural monuments. The most significant includes the following: Papilė boulder exposure, Black Rock, Rudikiai Oak and the 15 trunk Linden. There are 14 cultural heritage objects in the regional park of which 2 are cultural monuments.