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Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

include the following categories, as defined by the Act on Protection of Nature ('' pl, Ustawa o ochronie przyrody'') of 16 April 2004,Act on Protection of Nature
, 2004, published by the Polish Parliament by the

Polish Parliament The parliament of Poland is the bicameral legislature of Poland. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the Sejm). Both houses are accommodated in the ''Sejm'' complex in Warsaw. The Constitution of Poland does not ...

National parks

There are 23 national parks in

. These were formerly run by the Polish Board of National Parks (''Krajowy Zarząd Parków Narodowych''), but in 2004 responsibility for them was transferred to the Ministry of the Environment. Most national parks are divided into strictly and partially protected zones. Additionally, they are usually surrounded by a protective buffer zone called ''otulina''.

Landscape parks

According to the Act on Protection of Nature (''Ustawa o ochronie przyrody'') of 2004, a Landscape Park (''Parki Krajobrazowe'') is defined as "an area protected because of its natural, historical, cultural and scenic values, for the purpose of conserving and popularizing those values in conditions of balanced development."Kancelaria Sejmu (April 16, 2004)
Act on Protection of Nature (USTAWA z dnia 16 kwietnia 2004 r. o ochronie przyrody)
''See:'' Article 16 (1). PDF file, direct download 329 KB. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 10, 2013. As at 9 May 2009 there are 122 designated Landscape Parks throughout Poland, covering a total area of approximately .

Nature reserves

Nature reserves 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 Nature reserves in Poland are divided into categories: 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.

Protected areas

Protected landscape areas ('' pl, obszary chronionego krajobrazu'') belong to some of the least restrictive zones of protection, with focus on qualified tourism and outdoor recreation. There were 419 protected landscape areas in Poland as of December 31, 2008 covering an area of , or slightly over 23% of the country.

Natura 2000 designated areas

About 500 Natura 2000 sites,

ecological network An ecological network is a representation of the biotic interactions in an ecosystem, in which species (nodes) are connected by pairwise interactions (links). These interactions can be trophic or symbiotic. Ecological networks are used to describ ...

of protected areas in the territory of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

including: :* 72

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

s ('' pl, Obszar Specjalnej Ochrony Ptaków, OSOP'') locations to safeguard the habitats of

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...

and certain particularly threatened birds. :*

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

('' pl, Obszar mający znaczenie dla Wspólnoty'') locations that contribute significantly to the maintenance or restoration at a favorable conservation status of a natural habitat type. :*

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

('' pl, Specjalny obszar ochrony siedlisk, SOOS'')

Other designated sites

* Geological "documentary sites" ('' pl, stanowiska dokumentacyjne'') * Over 6,000 "ecological sites" ('' pl, użytki ekologiczne'') * "Nature and landscape complexes" ('' pl, zespoły przyrodniczo-krajobrazowe'') * About 33,000

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

s (mainly trees, also some caves etc.) Poland also has the following internationally designated sites:

Biosphere Reserves

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are environment-protected scientific-research institutions of international status that are created with the intent for conservation in a natural state the most typical natural complexes of biosphere, conducting background ecological monitoring, studying of the surrounding

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses ...

, its changes under the activity of anthropogenic factors. Biosphere Preserves are created on the base of

nature preserve 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 o ...

s or national parks including to their composition territories and objects of other categories of nature-preserving fund and other lands as well as including in the established order the

World Network of Biosphere Reserves The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage sustainable de ...

in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

framework "

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

". There are 9 Biosphere Reserves in Poland.

World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desert,

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

, building, complex, or city) that is listed by UNESCO as sites of outstanding cultural or

natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

importance to the common heritage of humanity. There are fourteen World Heritage Sites in

(1The natural site ''Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest'' is shared between Belarus and Poland. Natural and 13The cultural site ''Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski'' is shared between Germany and Poland.The cultural site "Wooden Tserkvas of Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine" is shared between Poland and Ukraine Cultural). The first two sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. Three of the sites, Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest,

Wooden Tserkvas of Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine The Wooden ''Tserkvas'' of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine (; ) are a group of wooden Orthodox (and some Eastern Catholic) churches (in Ukrainian, церкви ''tserkvy'') located in Poland and Ukraine which were inscribed in 2013 on t ...

and Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski are shared with neighboring countries (Belarus, Ukraine and Germany). Poland also has six sites on the Tentative List.

Ramsar Convention sites

The

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

is an international

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...

for the conservation and sustainable utilization of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. Since the convention became effective in Poland on 22 March 1978, the designation of Wetland of International Importance has been applied to thirteen locations in the country, which combine to form an area of .

References

Notes

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