Nature reserves in Poland ( pl, rezerwaty przyrody w Polsce) cover a total area of , representing 0.53% of the territory of Poland. As of 2011, Poland has 1469

nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. The total area of the nature reserves in Poland has expanded since 1980 when they covered only about . By 1990 this increased to (0.37% of the territory of Poland) Their number has also expanded (in 2000 they numbered 1307). However, the area of the natural reserves under strict protection (''pod ochroną ścisłą'') has decreased from in 1990 to as of 2011. The area of nature reserves in Poland was highest around in 2008, when they approached . Nature reserves in Poland are divided into: fauna (141), landscape (108), forest (722), peat-bog (177), flora (169), water (44), inanimate nature (72), steppe (32) and

halophyte A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs and seashores. Th ...

(4). Another division is into the regular and strict nature reserves; the strict ones see no human activity, whereas the regular one see limited maintenance. According to Łonkiewicz, the first nature reserve on the Polish lands was the Pamiątka Pieniacka (near Lwów), 50 hectares large, established by count

Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki Count Włodzimierz Ksawery Tadeusz Dzieduszycki (; 22 June 1825 – 18 September 1899) was a Polish noble, landowner, naturalist, political activist, collector and patron of arts of Ruthenian heritage. Włodzimierz became the first Ordynat of t ...

in 1886. As Rąkowski also notes, that nature reserve is no longer in the borders of modern Poland (it is now in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

), and the oldest nature reserve on modern Polish lands may be the Baranowiec Nature Reserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Barnowiec) established in 1903. Boiński as well Łachowski et al. however note that the oldest preserve may be the Leon Wyczółkowski's Cisy Staropolskie Nature Preserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Cisy Staropolskie im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego), whose establishment dates to 1827. Some of the best known nature reserves in Poland include: Białowieża Forest Nature Reserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Lasy Naturalne Puszczy Białowieskiej), Leon Wyczółkowski's Cisy Staropolskie Nature Preserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Cisy Staropolskie im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego), Olszyny Niezgodzkie Nature Reserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Olszyny Niezgodzkie), Modrzewina Nature Reserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Modrzewina) and the Stefan Starzyński's Kabacki's Forest Nature Reserve ( Rezerwat przyrody Las Kabacki im. Stefana Starzyńskiego).

Size of nature reserves by voivodeship

The voivodeship with the highest total number of nature reserves is the

Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...

, and the lowest, the

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship, or Opole Province ( pl, województwo opolskie ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Upper Si ...

. With regard to the total area, the highest is the Podlaskie Voivodeship, and the lowest is the Opole Voivodeship.

References

{{Authority control Nature conservation in Poland Natural history museums in Poland Protected areas of Poland Parks in Poland

Size of nature reserves by voivodeship

See also

References