PRACE KOMISJI KRAJOBRAZU KULTUROWEGO DISSERTATIONS OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPE COMMISSION NO. 23/2014: 73-88 Krzysztof BADORA University of Opole Department of Land Protection Opole, Poland e-mail:[email protected] SPATIAL SYSTEM OF LANDSCAPE PROTECTION IN POLAND PRZESTRZENNY SYSTEM OCHRONY KRAJOBRAZU POLSKI Key words: system and forms of landscape protection, European Landscape Convention, Poland Słowa kluczowe: system i formy ochrony krajobrazu, Europejska Konwencja Krajobrazowa, Polska Abstract The spatial system of landscape protection in Poland includes 13 types of legitimate forms ena- bling protection of objects within landscape, parts of landscapes and sets of numerous landscapes. When considering surface area, the largest and most important forms of landscape protection are established on the basis of the Nature Conservation Act. The greatest area is covered by protected landscape areas and landscape parks (in total, ca. 30% of the area of Poland). However, they are of rather low importance in actual landscape protection due to weak implementing instruments. National parks and reserves provide better landscape protection, however focus on conservation of nature values and extend at only 3.5% of the country area. Cultural landscapes of historical signifi- cance are protected mainly in the form of heritage monuments and cultural parks, up to the present day founded in the number of only 54 and 24, respectively. These small amounts do not reflect the variability of Polish historical cultural landscapes and are insufficient to preserve them. In Poland, the weakest protection is provided to non-historical cultural landscapes. Streszczenie Przestrzenny system ochrony krajobrazu w Polsce zbudowany jest z 13 typów usankcjonowanych praw- nie form ochrony. Pozwalają one na ochronę obiektów w krajobrazie, części krajobrazów lub też układów zbudo- wanych z wielu krajobrazów. Najliczniejsze i najważniejsze formy ochrony krajobrazu pod względem po- wierzchni są tworzone w oparciu o ustawę o ochronie przyrody. Największe tereny zajmują obszary chronionego krajobrazu i parki krajobrazowe – łącznie ok. 30% terytorium kraju. Nie mają jednak dużego znaczenia w rze- czywistej ochronie krajobrazu ze względu na słabe instrumenty wykonawcze ochrony. Parki narodowe i rezerwa- ty lepiej chronią krajobrazy, ale koncentrują się na ochronie walorów przyrodniczych i zajmują zaledwie 3,5% powierzchni kraju. Podstawowymi formami ochrony zabytkowego krajobrazu kulturowego są pomniki historii i parki kulturowe. Do tej pory powstały zaledwie 24 parki kulturowe i 54 pomniki historii, co nie odzwierciedla zróżnicowania zabytkowego krajobrazu kulturowego Polski i jest niewystarczające dla jego zachowania. Najsłabiej w Polsce chronione są niezabytkowe krajobrazy kulturowe. 73 INTRODUCTION Landscape protection, one of key aspects in preservation of sociocultural identi- ty and natural heritage, is an important task for the Polish society and administra- tion. Providing landscape protection may involve the development of a spatial sys- tem of protected areas, differing in their rank and protection conditions and contrib- uting to legal protection described as passive (Kistowski, 2010). Active protection, not discussed in this paper, is supplementary to passive protection and enables ac- complishment of the landscape protection aims. In Poland, spatial systems of landscape protection are established according to a scientific paradigm in which landscape, as the subject of protection, is under- stood differently. Two main trends may be distinguished in its research and devel- opment: (1) based on natural studies (e.g. landscape geography, landscape ecology and geochemistry) and focusing on the protection of nature values and (2) based on technical sciences (e.g. urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture) and focusing on the protection of cultural values, very often resulting from the histo- ry of the area and its monuments. In subject literature, definitions of landscape were repeatedly revised and compiled (i.a. Pietrzak, 1998; Żarska, 2004; Richling, Solon, 2011; Chmielewski, 2012; Myga-Piątek, 2012). Terminology and methodology applied in Polish studies of landscape, also in the context of its protection, were discussed in very numerous publications, particularly ones published in two journals leading in the presentation of the Polish and partly foreign achievements in this field, namely the Dissertations of Cultural Landscape Commission and The Problems of Landscape Ecology. Considering the two main trends in landscape studies, the Polish spatial system of landscape protection was developed on the basis of two principal sources of law: regulations on nature conservation (presently the Nature Conservation Act of 16th April 2004), describing mainly the structure of areas of natural landscape pro- tection, however including forms putting strong emphasis on protection of cultural landscape (e.g. landscape parks, landscape-nature complexes); within this system, three forms of protection: landscape parks, protected landscape areas and landscape- nature complexes, as well as some reserves (landscape reserves), are dedicated to landscape protection; regulations on monuments protection (presently the Act on Monuments Pro- tection and Maintenance of 23rd July 2003), providing basis for the protection of cultural landscapes and objects of historical significance; in spatial protection, two forms are of key importance: cultural parks and heritage monuments; they are ac- companied by cultural heritage protection zones established in spatial planning. Moreover, landscape protection within forms of protection defined in the Polish law may be enhanced when the rank of an area or object increases, e.g. when it is in- cluded in the UNESCO World Heritage List or Biosphere Reserves List. 74 With both the above-mentioned types of regulations, the Polish legal system of landscape protection provides passive protection for: objects within landscape – single or grouped components, e.g. nature monu- ments, monuments entered into the register of monuments; parts of landscapes – fragments of natural or cultural landscapes, e.g. single eco- systems, groups of monuments; landscapes – all natural and cultural resources in particular area, protected mainly in large-scale spatial forms of environmental protection, e.g. national parks and landscape parks, as well in forms of protection of cultural assets, such as cultural parks and heritage monuments. The legal system of landscape protection, with a structure generally distin- guishing protection of cultural landscape from natural landscape and divided into activities aimed at preservation of landscape components, parts of landscapes or en- tire landscapes, has its advantages and disadvantages. The most important advantages include the fact that all areas and landscape components, both natural and cultural ones, are subjected to protection, which may be provided from object- scale to large-scale. Additionally, the level of protection can be adjusted to current needs. The main drawback of the system is that it authorizes dualism in landscape protection management, what results in functioning of two “areas” of protection. The first one, based on the Nature Conservation Act, is too weak in the protection of cultural landscape values, while the second one, based on regulations on monu- ments protection, does not sufficiently consider the need to protect natural resources and values. Moreover, it is too much focused on cultural landscapes of historical significance while other cultural landscapes, of great importance for the society and in present day culture, remain underappreciated. This coincides with problems with defining landscape and its protection in various legal regulations (Giedych, 2004; Badora, 2009). Spatial landscape protection was introduced in Poland already before World War Two, however a comprehensive approach to this issue has been developed since the late 1940s. Works on the system were intensified particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, due to a paradigm shift in nature protection from conservatorial and focused on objects towards comprehensive and focused on landscapes. In pro- tection of landscapes of historical significance, greater emphasis was put on the need to preserve complexes of monuments and the entire landscape into which they are integrated. The aim of this paper is to outline the present day state of spatial landscape pro- tection in Poland and to present possible ways of its optimization. 75 TYPOLOGY OF COMPONENTS IN THE SPATIAL SYSTEM OF LANDSCAPE PROTECTION Passive protection of natural and cultural landscapes in Poland is provided in the following forms of protection: based on regulations on nature conservation: national parks, nature reserves, landscape parks, protected landscape areas, Natura 2000 areas, documentation sites, nature monuments, landscape-nature complexes, ecological areas; the first five forms are usually large-scale and protect landscapes or sets of landscapes (nature reserves protect mainly the key ecosystems of landscapes); other forms protect mostly objects within landscapes or parts of landscapes; based on regulations on monuments protection: heritage monuments, cultural parks, protection specifications in spatial planning documentation (particularly zones of cultural heritage protection: A, B, K, W, E), entries into the register of monuments; the first three forms are mainly spatial and cover urban and rural ar- rangements of historical significance, often with