Nature protection and biodiversity - Outlook 2020 (Poland)

Protecting biodiversity and the landscape is important to secure the environmental security of the country. The Polish Government’s efforts to improve the natural environment, backed by increasing public involvement, have resulted in the gradual elimination of the threats to and the changes which are threatening the environment. The main activities undertaken in this respect are:

• improving knowledge base on biodiversity of the natural environment by carrying out inventories in selected regions,
• ensuring a gradual improvement in air and water quality by creating conditions to reduce the impact of human activity on the environment,
• continuing to develop the national network of protected areas by establishing new national parks, nature reserves and scenic national parks. Incorporating ecological corridors (woodland, rivers, etc) to allow genetic exchange among local populations,
• expanding restitution and reintroduction programmes, particularly of threatened species of plants and animals,
• ensuring that the introduction of species that may pose a threat to the integrity of natural ecosystems and habitats or that constitute a threat to native species is effectively counteracted,
• more vigorous activity to promote environmental knowledge and awareness  among the general public,
• further increasing the afforestation of the country adapted to natural and landscape conditions,
• developing ideas of sustainable and multifunctional forestry,
• implementation of agri-environmental programmes to encourage environmentally friendly actions in agricultural areas and to support the protection of genetic resources for food production and farming,
• the enforcement of nature protection requirements in planning at local level,
• implementation of the Natura 2000 network in Poland to protect the most valuable natural habitats. Any undertakings that may have a negative impact on natural habitats must undergo an environmental impact assessment, and incorporate compensatory measures where required,
• designating areas of high nature value (HNV), which will play an important role in monitoring the implementation of biodiversity protection policy instruments in agricultural and forest areas, including in particular the EU programme on rural development.