Protected areas of Poland
Encyclopedia
Protected area
s of Poland
include the following types, as defined by the Act on Protection of Nature (Ustawa o ochronie przyrody) of 16 April 2004:
Poland also has:
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
include the following types, as defined by the Act on Protection of Nature (Ustawa o ochronie przyrody) of 16 April 2004:
- 23 National ParkNational parkA national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s (see list of National Parks of Poland) - 121 Landscape ParksLandscape Park (Poland)A Landscape Park is the name given in Poland to a type of protected area, of lower status than a National Park and with less stringent restrictions on development and economic use....
(see list of Landscape Parks of Poland) - over 1300 nature reserveNature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s - 450 protected landscape areas (obszary chronionego krajobrazu)
- about 500 Natura 2000Natura 2000Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
sites - geological "documentary sites" (stanowiska dokumentacyjne)
- over 6,000 "ecological sites" (użytki ekologiczne)
- "nature and landscape complexes" (zespoły przyrodniczo-krajobrazowe)
- about 33,000 natural monumentNatural MonumentA 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....
s (mainly trees, also some caves etc.)
Poland also has:
- 9 UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
-designated biosphere reserveBiosphere reserveThe Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
s (see list of biosphere reserves in Poland) - 13 UNESCO-designated World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s (see list of World Heritage Sites in Poland) - 13 RamsarRamsar ConventionThe Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
wetland sites (see list)