PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Natura 2000 site Puszcza Kampinoska (Kampinos Forest) has the largest complex of wetland habitats in central Poland. The conservation status of wetland habitats and related species in the project site is currently assessed as unfavourable-inadequate and partly unfavourable-bad. The main driver is land reclamation spanning the past 150 years which has severely lowered groundwater levels. Well-preserved wetland habitats now cover only 5% of the primeval wetland areaof Kampinos Forest. More recently, climate change has exacerbated the problem, causing extended dry periods and increasing fluctuations in water levels. Kampinos Forest is especially vulnerable to this. The abandonment of extensive agricultural management practices, along with the lower water levels, has led to bush encroachment, increasing the coverage of invasive species and the disappearance of valuable communities of hay meadows and species linked to these habitats.
OBJECTIVES
The Kampinos WetLIFE project aims to restore and increase the ecological resilience of more than 6 140 ha in Kampinos Forest. It will seek to improve the conservation status of five Natura 2000 habitats, four plant and 19 animal species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive, and 25 breeding species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive.
The projects specific objectives are to:
Improve hydrological conditions; Improve the conservation status of Natura 2000 habitats and species through specific nature conservation measures; Reduce areas of conflict between the interests of local communities and nature protection; and Initiate regional and international initiatives and events for wetland protection. Kampinos WetLIFE will contribute to implementation of EU policy in the areas of nature protection (the Birds and Habitats directives), water management and flood protection (the Water Framework and Floods directives), as well as the EUs climate and energy package, the common agricultural policy and the biodiversity strategy for 2030.
RESULTS
Expected results:
Improved conservation status and increased resilience of more than 6 140 ha of Natura 2000 habitats, other wetland communities and 34 Natura 2000 species, including seven invertebrate species living in the area, thanks to a 1.38 million m3 increase in water retained annually; Improvement of almost 110 ha of potential habitat for the scarce large blue (Maculinea teleius) and the large copper (Lycaena dispar) butterflies by initiating extensive farming, enriching meadow biodiversity and eliminating invasive species; Improved ecological status of 8 500 m of man-made watercourses by naturalising their morphology, forming meanders and introducing natural obstacles into channels. This will create potential habitat for two Natura 2000 invertebrates: Vertigo moulinsiana and Anisus vorticulus, two fish: the weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis) and bitterling (Rhodeus sericeus), and 18 other Natura 2000 species; Creation of 35 small water reservoirs as potential habitat for three Natura 2000 invertebrates: Leucorrhinia pectoralis, the water beetle (Graphoferus bilineatus) and Anisus vorticulus, and for 20 other Natura 2000 species; Reduction of predator pressure from the American mink (Neovison vison) in approximately 80 km of watercourses by catching individual animals; Creation of 10 new populations of Vertigo angustior, 10 populations of Vertigo moulinsiana and seven populations of Anisus vorticulus by reintroducing these species; and 15% increase in the breeding success of the black stork (Ciconia nigra) by installing nesting platforms, protecting nests against predators and improving conditions in their feeding area.
