Odtworzenie oraz zachowanie obszarów bagiennych, torfowisk i terenów podmokłych na obszarach Natura 2000 i Zielonej Infrastruktury.

BACKGROUND

Peatlands are one of the fastest-disappearing ecosystems in the continental climate zone. They are subject to progressive degradation due to changes in hydrological conditions. According to the data from the Polish report on the implementation of the Habitats Directive, the conservation status of habitats classified as marshes, peatlands or other wetlands was assessed as unfavourable-inadequate (U1) or unfavourable-bad (U2). According to the PAF in Poland for the years 2021-2027 and the reports of the Ramsar Convention, both protection and active conservation measures should be taken to maintain or improve the conservation status of these habitats. This applies to habitats from Annex I of the Habitats Directive as well as wetlands not included in the Annex, which are important for the preservation of populations of plant and animal species of European interest within designated Natura 2000 sites as well as outside them, i.e. Green Infrastructure.

OBJECTIVES

The WETLANDS GREEN LIFE project aims to create opportunities for the implementation of the Prioritised Action Framework (PAF) for the Natura 2000 network in Poland, in marsh, peatland and wetland areas in all Natura 2000 sites and Green Infrastructure areas.

The project’s specific objectives are to:

• Define conservation tasks together with the designation of buffer zones for 100% of target habitats located within Natura 2000 sites (ca. 240 000 ha);
• Halt biodiversity loss or reverse negative trends on an area of ca. 120 000 ha, covering the following target habitats: a) swamps, bogs and other wetlands (habitat types 1310, 7110, 7120, 7140, 7150, 7210, 7220, 7230), b) grasslands (1330, 1340, 6410, 6430, 6440, 6510), and c) forest habitats (91D0, 91E0, 91F0);
• Increase water retention in an area of approx. 3 000 ha, through an increase in soil organic matter content, reduction of surface runoff with the use of anti-erosion measures, and reduction of evapotranspiration through the preservation of appropriate vegetation;
• Improve the quality of humus in the soil, reflecting the occurrence of peat-forming processes in an area of approx. 4 000 ha;
• Improve water quality in an area of approx. 3 200 ha (mainly by an increase in the content of cations and a decrease in the content of NH₄+ and NO₃), thanks to the positive impact of the buffer zones introduced in the immediate vicinity of wetlands, peat bogs and swamps;
• Propose necessary protection measures in areas of Green Infrastructure affecting Natura 2000 sites, in accordance with the Priority Action Framework (PAF) for the Natura 2000 Network in Poland for 2021-2027;
• Monitor the effects of conservation tasks carried out in terms of restoring the proper hydrological regime, improving biodiversity and reducing CO₂ emissions;
• Create a modern, multifunctional and stable system for managing nature resources at national scale, allowing for greater effectiveness of the activities of nature protection authorities, in particular the General Director for Environmental Protection, as well as Regional Directors for Environmental Protection;
• Contribute to raising awareness on the need to protect the biodiversity of peatlands, marshes and wetlands and their functions, through educational activities targeting schools and profession organisations.

The Natura 2000 sites listed in the project summary are a representative sample, but not all the ones targeted by the project (around 600 sites in total).

In addition to the IP budget itself the project will facilitate the coordinated use of 2 153 729 527.45 EUR of complementary funding from: (i) European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and Environment programme 2021-2027 "FENiKS"; (ii) Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 (CAP payments to farmers to support measures pursuing the objectives of water retention); (iii) Project of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection within the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management; (iv) "Development of innovative technology for the production of substrate and fertilizers from domestic raw materials for the production of forest tree seedlings" project (2021 -2023); and (v) Hydrostrategy - competition of the National Centre for Research and Development (2023-2030).