Designated terrestrial protected areas

Poland has some of the richest biodiversity in Europe, with about 18 000 plant species (excluding fungi and lichens), 35 000 animal species, a diverse landscape and unique wild nature. The share of protected land (40%) has remained consistently high for many years, exceeding the EU policy target. In 2022, legally protected areas, excluding Natura 2000 areas, covered over 10 million ha or 32% of the territory. There are around 10 000 protected areas, including Białowieża National Park (also a World Heritage Site), 11 World Network of Biosphere Reserves sites and 19 Ramsar Convention sites. The Natura 2000 network, which partially overlaps with other protected areas, covers about 20% of the country, exceeding the European average. Poland has 10 forms of nature protection. There are 23 national parks, the oldest having been established in 1932, and a 24th one is in the process of being established to protect the Lower Odra Valley. Around 22% of the national territory is covered by protected landscape areas. A new initiative to speed up the increase in the area and number of nature reserves (over 1 500 now) has been launched. New actions to protect nature also include creating community forests. A project supported by the LIFE programme aims to establish, by 2027, a modern multifunctional system to manage and protect nature resources.