Protection of Natural Wetlands – the Examples of Conflicts 37

DOI: 10.2478/v10025-012-0022-z © Institute of Technology and Live Science, 2012 JOURNAL OF WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT Available (PDF): www.itep.edu.pl/wydawnictwo; J. Water Land Dev. 2012, No. 16 (I–VI): 35–42 http://versita.com/jwld/ PL ISSN 1429–7426 Received 23.05.2012 Reviewed 16.06.2012 Accepted 16.06.2012 A – study design Protection of natural wetlands – B – data collection C – statistical analysis D – data interpretation the examples of conflicts E – manuscript preparation F – literature search Waldemar MIODUSZEWSKI1) ABCDEF, Tomasz OKRUSZKO2) ABCDEF 1) Institute of Technology and Life Sciences, Department of Water Resources, ul. Hrabska 3, Falenty, 05-090 Raszyn, e-mail: [email protected] 2) The University of Life Sciences in Warsaw, Faculty of Engineering and Environmental Science, ul. Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warszawa, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Wetlands as one of the most valuable ecosystems are subjects of legal protection. Except ecological value they play important role in water management. Wetlands slow down the outflow of water from river basins and protect the water quality in the agricultural area. Therefore many artificial wetlands are constructed in some countries. The most valuable natural wetlands are protected as National Parks – the highest form of protection. Maintaining high degree of moisture of soil that is a condition that must be fulfilled to preserve the value of these areas can cause conflicts in using the adjacent areas. The paper presents an analysis of conflict situations that occurred in the Biebrza, Narew and Kampinos National Parks. Drainage of the excess water from the built-up area or from the areas used for agricultural purposes interferes with the natural flow re- gime in the protected areas. The analysis allowed identifying the possible compromise solutions. Key words: environmental protection, national parks, water management, wetlands INTRODUCTION related ecosystems. In Poland, most of the areas protected by law are forests and bogs due to their high For many years wetlands have been submitted to natural value. Areas with high humidity are present in special attention of the international community. This most of Polish National Parks. Some National Parks situation results from the fact that human economic have been established primarily for the conservation activity, including agriculture, led to drying and elim- of wetlands. Parks where large areas of wetlands are ination of many wetlands in the world, especially in located are: Biebrza, Narew, Warta Estuary and Pole- Europe. Nowadays, there is no doubt about need of sie (Fig. 1). Also in the Kampinos National Park wetlands preservation in their natural state. Wetlands nearly 40% of the protected area is wetlands. protection is necessary not only because of the bio- Protection of wetlands often collides with plans logical diversity of these areas and the occurrence of of the local society. This situation concerns mainly many rare species of flora and fauna but also because farmers operating within and in the vicinity of the their function in water management. The natural wet- protected areas. Also conflicts arising from the soci- land slow down the outflow of water from river ba- ety desire to build households in the areas of in- sins. They protect the surface water from the diffuse creased humidity that are considered to be attractive agricultural contamination. Protection of wetlands is locations occur. Protection of wetlands means preser- a target of many national and international documents vation of high ground water level as well as the long starting from the Ramsar Convention (RC) and ending term occurrence of water at the ground surface and with the Water Framework Directive (WFD). WFD high water level in streams. Implementation of these and its implementation in the Polish Water Law clear- measures can be difficult due to frequent lack of water ly oblige Poland to protection of aquatic and water – after dry periods and high moisture level of the soil © Institute of Technology and Live Science in Falenty, 2012; J. Water Land Dev. No. 16 (I–VI) 36 W. MIODUSZEWSKI, T. OKRUSZKO that cause difficulties in agriculture use of the pro- lic conductivity, evaluation of state of the existing tected area and its vicinity. Conflicts arise in such hydrographic network, description of actual scope of situations and they can set a lot of people hostile to flooding and assessment of water management in the the idea of wetlands protection. Moreover, part of the area. Results of measurements and observations al- society considers wetlands as areas hostile to humans lowed generalization of the observed phenomena. as it was common many years ago. Many experiments Summary of the research has been presented for each that had been performed show that the nature conser- Park separately while synthetic conclusions include vation process is more effective when the local com- all the case studies. Obtained results are of general munity is involved. It is difficult to protect large areas nature and may be applied to other cases. from devastation even with help of a group of well trained and dedicated to the nature young people. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS Conflicts in three national parks have been ana- lysed. Due to elevated level of surface and ground waters citizens operating in these areas have suffered. BPN Elevated water level is a desirable feature in all dis- cussed areas. In all three parks organic soil degrada- tion and adverse vegetation transformation resulting NPN from small water resources and influence of the drainage system that had been constructed decades ago can KPN be observed. Therefore various measures for limiting water outflow from the area have been proposed. The aim can be obtained by construction of thresholds on water courses. Maintenance of water courses has been abandoned what causes growth of sediments in the bottom and vegetation development. These measures increase hydraulic resistance of water courses what cause elevation of water level in the course and increase of ground water level in the vicinity of the course. Flooding of the area as well as increased level Fig. 1. Areas protected in Poland due to their high natural value, KPN – Kampinos National Park, NPN – Narew Na- of surface and ground water are beneficial to the pro- tional Park, BPN – Biebrza National Park tection of natural values of wetlands but they are rare- ly accepted by the owners of adjacent areas. The aim of this paper is not a comprehensive Biebrza National Park. Biebrza National Park presentation of the problems and conflicts in Poland is the largest swamp park in Poland. It is located in arising between present owners of wetlands and the the valley of the river where attempts of drainage had need to protect nature as there are a lot of conflict been made several times in the past. The aim of drain- sites and they have never been registered or studied in age was to ease intensification of meadows and pas- depth. The aim of this study is to describe the three tures agricultural use. The part of the valley that is selected examples of wetlands located in the national under law protection has kept its valuable features and parks for which protection is necessary to maintain is still extensively used for agricultural purposes. Al- a high level of surface and ground water while public so, the river has never been regulated. By contrast, use of the terrain demands decrease of water level. most of Biebrza tributary rivers have been straighten and its valleys have been drained by open ditches. MATERIALS AND METHODS These areas are still used for agricultural purposes – mainly cattle and milk production. Therefore, drained In summer 2010 high precipitation causing in- areas are significant to the local economy. Their value crease of surface and ground water level occurred. is even higher as mineral soils are rare in this region Meadows used for agricultural purposes situated in and their quality is poor. the vicinity of the borders of the Biebrza and Narew Brzozówka (Fig. 2) is an example of the river National Parks as well as urban areas in the vicinity of valley where water conditions are regulated. The river the Kampinos National Park were flooded. Observa- itself has been regulated and the drained valley and tions and research were conducted to define reasons existing devices allow irrigation. Cattle production of flooding as well as to find solutions to prevent basing on use of valley meadows has developed. In flooding of agricultural lands without causing any years when precipitation is high and in times with ex threats to protected areas within national parks. The cess of water due to crops demands water is drained research included measurements and analysis of the to Brzozówka that is a tributary river of Biebrza. Hy- surface and ground water table, evaluation of hydrau- drographic network of the area has been shown in Fig. 2. © ITP in Falenty, 2012; J. Water Land Dev. No. 16 (I–VI) Protection of natural wetlands – the examples of conflicts 37 Biebrza National Park Fig. 2. Hydrographic network in the valley of Brzozówka: 1 – border of the valley, 2 – border of the Biebrza National Park, 3 – weirs, 4 – weir on Brzozówka River Maintenance of the Brzozówka and Biebrza have occurred. Neighbourhood relations in this part of Rivers has been abandoned since establishing of the the Park improved considerably. Similar, but not so National Park. No removing of sediments excess or obvious, situations occur in other estuaries of the Bie- plant cover in the river bed occurred. These measures brza tributary rivers in the park. In these sites remov- led to significant decrease of the cross-section, reduc- ing of the sediments is not allowed due to the fact that tion of the hydraulic capacity and increase of water flooding of the valley is not that harmful to the grass- level.

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