Box 9P Biebrza Valley (Poland)

Biebrza Marshes, Poland

Source: Robert Harding Picture Library


Some 80 000 ha of wetlands have been identified (Grimmett and Jones, 1989) in the Biebrza Valley (Site 129 on Map 9.8) of northeast Poland. In the north, on the upper river course, sedge and moss fens are interspersed with intensively managed grassland on land which has been drained. Further drainage proposals pose an acute threat to some of the remaining fens. Scrubby fen and grassland is found in the central basin, which was partially drained in the nineteenth century. Forested areas of birch, alder, spruce and pine are important in this area. The lower valley basin of the south carries some well-preserved fens in an area some 5 to 12 km wide along a 30 km length of river. The river floodplain also includes many oxbow lakes. The fens are dominated by tall sedge with extensive reedbeds along the river channel. Scrub invasion is posing a threat to nesting water habitats. Many species of birds breed along the Biebrza Valley, including considerable numbers of waterfowl. Most of the land is at present unprotected though there are proposals for inclusion within National Park boundaries.