Network in Poland
Our natural heritage
Author: Grażyna Łaska
The Natura 2000 European Ecological Network is a new form of protection for wild habitats that Poland introduced in 2004 in connection with our country’s signing the EU accession treaty and its joining the European Union. Inclusion of Poland in this network is not meant to replace the existing categories of legal nature protection. The Natura 2000 areas, as a new form of nature preservation may function both within the framework of the already distinguished categories - on the terrain of national and landscape parks, nature reserves or areas of protected scenery - and on territory that up till now has not been subject to legal protection and was used economically.
The network of Natura 2000 areas in Poland embraces:
– Special Bird Protection Areas (so-called bird refuges, in Polish abbreviated to OSO, in Europe to SPA) (Special Protection Areas),
– Special Habitat Protection Areas (so-called habitat refuges, in Polish abbreviated to SOO, in Europe to SAC) (Special Areas of Conservation),
– Areas of Importance for the Community (OZW) (Nature Protection Bill).
There are currently 141 Special Bird Protection Areas (OSO) set aside in our country with a total area of 5,5228 million hectares, which constitutes 15.6% of Poland’s land mass. In accordance with the Bird Directive, 129 wild bird species are subject to protection on Polish territory. Of the habitat protection areas in Poland, some 33 areas have been officially approved in the country’s alpine regions and 331 in its continental regions, a total of 364 Areas of importance for the Community (OZW) with a total surface of over 2,89 million hectares, which constitutes 8.95% of our country’s surface. Additionally, Poland in 2009 sent the European Commission a list of new proposals for Areas of importance for the Community (OZW), as a result of which their number has risen to 823; their total surface will amount to 3,8003 million hectares, which constitutes 11% of Poland’s land mass.
The most recent reference list for Poland, dated March 24-26th 2010, recommends the protection of 81 types of valuable natural sites, including 18 types of priority sites (among others raised peat bogs, boggy coniferous and other forests, thermophilous oak woods), The wild fauna and flora species subject to protection in accordance with the Habitat Directive include:
a) 45 plant species, including 11 species of special priority importance for the flora of Europe:
Glittering carnation – Dianthus nitidus,
– Slovakian pasqueflower – Pulsatilla slavica,
– Polish scurvy-grass – Cochlearia polonica,
– Pieniny wallflower – Erysimum pieninicum,
– Sudetic lousewort – Pedicularis sudetica,
– Bohemian bellflower – Campanula bohemica,
– Heterophylous saw-wort – Campanula serrata,
– Saw-wort – Serratula lycopifolia
– Tatra scurvy-grass – Cochlearia tatrae,
– Bohemia gentian – Gentianella bohemica,
– Sudeten bedstraw – Galium sudeticum.
b) 85 animal species, including:
– 39 invertebrate species, of which six are of priority importance (among others the hermit beetle - Osmoderma eremita, and the Alpine Longhorn - Rosalia alpina),
– 19 fish and lamprey species, including two of priority importance (Atlantic (Baltic) Sturgeon - Acipenser sturio, and Lake minnow - Phoxinus perenurus),
– 5 species from the amphibians and reptiles group,
– 22 mammal species, including six of priority importance (the European Bison, Wolf, Brown bear, Speckled ground squirrel, Tatra marmot, and Tatra chamois).
The priority designation of plant and animal habitats and species means that unless we maintain these on the European continent, they will cease to exist at all in the world, and the European Economic Community bears special responsibility for their protection.
Seen against the background of other states of the European Union, the value of our country’s natural and landscape resources is a priceless treasure. A forest complex unique to Europe, the Bialowieza Primeval Forest is the so-called queen of Polish forests. With its sections of primeval forest and numerous monumental tree specimens, this is the best maintained lowland forest in Central Europe. Since 2005, the Bialowieza forest has been a biosphere reserve and Bialowieza National Park, the oldest such reserve in Poland, located within the Primeval Forest, has been added to the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.
The NATURA 2000 Network is not just a nature preservation initiative in its narrow sense, but one that in its plans also takes into account economic, social and cultural requirements, as well as the regional features of the local communities. It is most important we realize that the inclusion of a given area in the Natura 2000 European Ecological Network is proof that such an area has been recognized as exceptionally valuable in terms of its nature, one of great importance for maintaining our European heritage. We all have an important part to play in achieving the NATURA 2000 program and saving the biodiversity of these areas.