Outline Programme for Poland

Ujście Warty National Park
(Ramsar, Natura 2000)

Topic:   grazing as a tool, water management, education and public access:

The Park landscape is a mosaic of meadows, pastures and areas overgrown by sedge and reed. The existing plant communities are typical for agriculturally developed valleys of big lowland rivers. The remnants of its original character are willow shrubs that formed secondarily at the Warta River bed, communities of carr forest as well as single, grand willows and elms. The record of bird species of  the Warta Mouth National Park includes over 270 species along with 170 breeding ones. Some of them are listed in the Polish Red Data Book of Animals: Little Bittern, Shelduck, Common Teal, Little Gull, Eurasian Curlew. Many bird species living in the Park are regarded as species requiring special care according to the so called Birds Directive, one of the documents on which Natura 2000 protected area network is based. Among the 190 bird species listed in the Directive, 64 have been affirmed in the Park. These are breeding birds like: Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Corncrake, Spotted Crake, Black Tern, Little Tern, Aquatic Warbler and also species present during migration season like: Eurasian Golden Plover, Hen Harrier, and these wintering ones: Whooper Swan and Tundra Swan. Regarding the breeding as well the moulting and migration seasons, the floodlands and meadows of Warta Mouth National Park are of vital meaning for birds across whole Europe. Numerous plovers like: Wood Sandpipers, Spotted Redshanks and Ruffs stop here. In autumn the meadows at Warta River are being taken over by geese, numbering usually about 60-80 thousand, and maximally even 200 thousand. The flocks of arctic geese are dominated by Bean Geese, a bird that is a symbol of our Park. The Park is also a crucial wintering place for many species like: Whooper Swans, Mute Swans, and White-tailed Eagles. Not many places in Poland can boast such an incredibly high and diverse amount of birds. Sometimes during only one day 250 thousand of birds may be observed, so it is not odd that the meadows at Warta River are under protection within The Ramsar Convention. (www.pnujsciewarty.gov.pl)

Landscape Parks on the valley of Odra River (Natura 2000)

Topic:   Land use, protection and tourism.

Mosaic of river banks valley landscapes with interesting historical points, agriculture areas, moraine hills and dunes areas. Here is a new concept of management and land use including some aspects of tourism. Very interesting groups of flora and fauna with unique forest and xerothermic structures

Odra Delta Nature Park (Natura 2000)

Topic:   The biggest in Poland private concept of protected area, restored values of coastal meadows, water management conflicts, advanced tourism concept.

Odra Delta Nature Park covers the area of meadows and pastures (former kolkhoz area) owned by the Society for The Coast (1.000 ha), but also the forest reserve  managed by the National Forestry (400 ha), and the waters of Szczecin Lagoon managed by the Maritime Office in Szczecin (2.600 ha)

The return to the traditional farming methods – extensive grazing and mowing – was the only way to restore the previous floristic and ornithological biodiversity.

That is why Society for the Coast bought and actually have the largest group in Poland  of the Polish Konik Horses (actually we have more then 150 this animals) and Scottish Highland cattle (nearly 100).

Odra Delta Nature Park is also an open laboratory where group of scientific realize works connected with flora, fauna, but also social aspects of nature conservancy. Bird inventory is made each year with support of Natuurmonumenten specialists, due to our long-term cooperation.

Again more then 140 species of birds can be observed here including the most valuable ones:  waders (Charadrii) like lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), godwit (Limosa limosa), common snipe (Gallinago gallinago), redshank (Tringa tetanus) as well as corn crakes (Crex crex) or cranes (Grus grus) with the many species of ducks and water birds too.

The highest number of white tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in European scale is also observed in the area of Odra Delta Nature Park

The Polish Coast (Natura 2000)

Topic:   Nature conservation and tourism pressure, coastal dynamics.

Possible visit to popular coast resort Miedzyzdroje and Woliński National Park

Wolinski National Park protects highly valuable north-western part of the Wolin Island and 1 nautical mile broad belt of Baltic coastal waters in the north and delta of Swina River. Inclusion of the part of Pomeranian Bay and inner salt waters of Szczecin Bay has made the Woliński National Park the first maritime park in Poland. The total area of the Park today is 10 937 ha, . The landscape of the Park: 15 km long and up to 95 m high eroded cliffs.  Over 1300 vascular plant species have been recorded on the Wolin Island. Many of the species are rare and protected, such us sand binders: sea-beach sandwort (Honckenya peploides), lyme grass (Elymus arenaria), sea rocket (Cakile edentula), spiny saltwort (Salsola kali), and salt water plants – halophytes (Halophyta) (about 30 species). Steep slopes of the cliffs are densely overgrown by common sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides). Ground and sandy bed of the Baltic Sea is a habitat of macroalgae: green algae (Chlorophyta), brown algae (Phaeophyta) and rhodophytes (Rhodophyta), of which the most frequent are bladderwack (Fucus vesiculosus) and chlorophyte Entetromorpha intestinalis. Inland areas of the Park consist mainly of moraine hills covered with beech-pine-oak forests. The fauna of Wolin is very differentiated and richly represented by rare species. Over 230 bird species have been recorded within the Park, of which breeding: white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeëtus albicilla), aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola), dunlin (Calidris alpina) and red-breasted flycatcher (Ficedula parva).