Biodiversity Conservation in Transboundary Protected Areas (1996) / Chapter Skim
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3 Biosphere Reserves and Natural Conditions in Central European Border Regions
3 Biosphere Reserves and Natural Conditions in Central European Border Regions
Pages 107-164
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From page 109... ...
Over the course of time, We Forest has developed mature stands of undisturbed origin, a unique phenomen in this European lowland zone of deciduous and mixed forests. These stands developed naturally, practically Dee of human influence.
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From page 110... ...
The ecology of Bialowieza Primeval Forest and the lack of natural ecological barriers or isolation have resulted to many endemic flora and fauna species. But the unusual biodiversity of this ecosystems is exemplified by the fact that over 100 species of cryptogamous plants and invertebrates were first discovered here.
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From page 111... ...
PO L S K A ~ I ANUS ~ _ art\ ~ Lao ~; r AL ~ ~ \~ A//// ~ 1 ~\ ~1~3 1 EM 3 =1 4 E~1 5 EM 6 FIGURE 1 Bialowieza Primeval Forest. Categories of Protection and Land Use: 1.
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From page 112... ...
In December, 1992, part of the park was joined with the World Heritage Site in Poland to create a unique international European environmental site. In 1993, I3NESCO designated it a biosphere reserve.
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From page 113... ...
Publications on Bialowieza Primeval Forest include the four volumes of "Bibliography of Bialowieza Forest" (Karpinski J J., Okolow C
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From page 114... ...
Employees can cross the state borders in the forest without an official border pass. Currently, the Academies of Sciences in both countries are Dying to set up an international ecological institute located in Bialowieza Primeval Forest.
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From page 115... ...
REFERENCES Koval'kov M.P., Baljuk S.S., and Budnicheanko N..I. 1985 Bialowieza Primeval Forest.
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From page 116... ...
The area has many plant and animal species, including Tatra or Carpathian endemics, glacial relicts, and many endangered or rare species. The Tatra National Park is accessible for tourism, recreational skiing, and other sports.
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From page 117... ...
The idea of establishing a Biosphere Reserve in the Tatra Mountains originated in the 1980s in the National Park Councils of both the Polish and Slovak areas of the mountains. Groups of experts began to work on a concept for a future Biosphere Reserve covering both National Parks.
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From page 118... ...
Biosphere Reserve status has not precluded tourism, sport and recreation, which in fact continue. The concept of the international Polish-Slovak Biosphere Reserve should help to ensure harmonious coexistence between the local community and the protected wildlife and wilderness quality of the Tatra Mountains, as well provide a good example of effective cooperation between Poland and Slovakia in the field of nature conservation.
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From page 120... ...
The high natural diversity of the Tatras has been a product of both natural variation and changes brought about by centuries of human intervention with nature in the area. NATURAL DIVERSITY The current geological structure of the Tatras is the result of long-lasting development.
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From page 121... ...
ills .: ~1 i o I. ~tat .
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From page 122... ...
Extending above this is a zone of alpine grassland meadows, and farther above this, arctic-alpine communities associated with summital zone of bare rock and scree. Plants occurring in the Tatra National Park include those encountered in the lowlands as well as typically montane species adapted to life in the difficult climatic and soil conditions (Mirek & Piekos-Mirkowa, 1992~.
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From page 123... ...
Some of these have resulted in increased biodiversity, while others have impoverished nature in the Tatras in a significant way. While human management of the lands that are now Poland has been continuing for over 15,000 years, its influence in the Tatra Mountains was not clearly felt until the thirteenth century, when settlers bent on developing pastoral life appeared at the foot of the mountains.
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From page 124... ...
From the fifteenth century onwards, industry joined settlement and shepherding as one of the human activities in the Tatra Mountains. The area's forests were the raw material base for this expansion, which was to embrace mining, steel making, and the timber industry.
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From page 125... ...
Sometimes the need to increase natural diversity in the Tatras does not create such controversies. An example here might be replacing artificial forestry monocultures with more natural mixed forest.
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From page 126... ...
TNP is now preparing its own plan of this kind and will define therein the particular natural objects in the Park for which the main aim of protection will be to preserve natural diversity. For each of these objects, there must be a shrictly defined and concrete aim for active protection, as well as definitions of the types and scope of the steps to be taken to achieve this aim.
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From page 127... ...
, pp. 131-146 Mirek, Z., Piekos-Mirkowa, H., 1992, Flora and Vegetation of the Polish Tatra Mountains.
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From page 128... ...
However, a seminival zone representing a variety within the nival type does exist, and it occurs in mountains lacking the appropriate geomorphological conditions for the development of snowfields and glaciers (Hess 1965~. The seminival or bare rock zone is peculiar to the Tatra Mountains, occurring in neither the highest glaciated mountains of Europe, nor the mountain massif elsewhere in the Carpathian-Balkan arc but lower than the Tatras (Pawlowska 1962~.
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From page 130... ...
The maximum annual totals -- on the order of 1600 to 1900 mm of precipitation per year -- are noted on the slopes with a northern exposure and at altitudes of between 1400 and 2000 m above sea level. (Niedzwiedz 1992~.
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From page 131... ...
- ~ - - ~ ~: i'-: At ~ - a Z ~ ~ 0 - Z en w C, :: !
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From page 132... ...
, the greatest volume of debris ever transported in Tatra debris flow tracks was 25,000 m3. However, in the last decade, large debris flows have occurred with increasing frequency in an area above the timberline around the Research Station of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which is located at Hala Gasienicowa in the High Tatra.
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From page 134... ...
On the Age of Debris Flows in the Tatra Mountains. Studia Geomorph.
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From page 135... ...
The Biosphere Reserve coincides with the eastern part of the PLA and covers 40,601 ha. In accordance with the Biosphere Reserve concept, the area is further divided into three zones.
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From page 136... ...
. The lowest point of the Biosphere Reserve, at 200 m, is in the Ulic Valley, where the Ulicka River flows out of Slovakia.
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From page 137... ...
The flora of the Eastern Carpathians Biosphere Reserve is species-rich and biogeographically outstanding. The Bukovske Vrchy Hills form the botanical frontier between the Eastern and Western Carpathians; several Eastern Carpathians endemics reach their western limits in the BR.
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From page 138... ...
This loss of human-induced biodiversity is a specific management problem of the Biosphere Reserve. Subdominant Anthoxantum odoratum and Agrostis tenuis characterize the meadows and pastures of low and middle elevations respectively.
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From page 139... ...
Tourism and sports in the territory have been limited, but could, if developed, play an important role as a future source of income for local inhabitants. The Eastern Carpathian Biosphere Reserve has not only preserved fragments of natural ecosystems, but also the biodiversity resulting from human activities.
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From page 140... ...
1994. Vychodne KarpatytEast Carpathians Biosphere Reserve.
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From page 141... ...
Tourist villages should grow in the immediate vicinity of the Park and extensive areas of the San Valley should be devoted to hiking, horseback riding, and cycling, as well as to fishing, nature photography, and ecological education. The protection of the natural resources of the Bieszczady may thus gain allies in the local population, who will earn incomes by servicing the tourists visiting the National Park and the Eastern Carpathians International Biosphere Reserve (IBR)
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From page 142... ...
It is also possible that He Ukrainian sector could implement the planned Nadsanie Landscape Park, a move that would allow for extensive protection of the drainage basin of the Upper San River on both sides of the border. The concept of the Biosphere Reserve is founded upon the idea of a zonal system of protected land.
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From page 143... ...
Strict Nature Reserves located outside the Park, in the transition zone of the Biosphere Reserve, should enjoy the same status as the core zone. However, this would require their surroundings to be secured with a buffer zone.
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From page 144... ...
A further tourist attraction is Poland's oldest narrow-gauge mountain railway, which began operating almost a century ago. If Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine sign an agreement on a tourist convention for the Eastem Carpathians Biosphere Reserve, the Park would attract international interest.
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From page 145... ...
Brochures, information booklets, and guides also serve to advance popular knowledge about nature. The Scientific Research Institute of the Eastern Carpathians International Biosphere Reserve, created in 1993 in Wolosaty, facilitates scientific research within the Reserve and helps organize conferences.
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From page 146... ...
The plan to replace part of the road across the Biosphere Reserve with a more nature-friendly forest train (to be acquired from the State Forest administration in 1995) is as yet without financing.
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From page 147... ...
Much of the foothill zone is urban, industrial, and agricultural. The lower forest zone grows to 1000 m above sea level and is dominated by natural communities of mountain beech and Sudetic beech.
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From page 148... ...
. About 100 bird species nest in the Polish part of the Biosphere Reserve, and there are 40 species of mammals, including the mouflon (Ovis musimon)
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From page 149... ...
in Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakowas have extensively researched forest management, reforestation, and forest ecology as the health of the forest has declined in recent decades. For 3 years, an extensive, interdisciplinary research project entitled "The Ecosystems of the Karkonosze Under the Circumstances of Ecological Stress" has been continued by scientists from the University of Wroclaw and from the Institute of Ecology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
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From page 150... ...
In 1992, the Karkonosze/Krkonose Bilateral Biosphere Reserve was established, comprising the area of both parks. The most valuable portions of the Parks, including over 10,000 ha in the sub-alp~ne and alpine zones, are under strict protection and constitute the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve.
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From page 151... ...
Poland's western border follows the courses of the Rivers Oder and Nysa Luzycka, but the drainage basins of the two rivers are extremely asymmetrical. The division with neighboring basins lies only 10 to 20 kilometers or less inside German territory.
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From page 152... ...
Although the Ukrainian side of the Bug's drainage basin is poorly managed, contemporary socio-economic changes should limit or stop the exploitation of hard coal, which would obviously help eliminate the discharge of the most burdensome effluents. Particular attention should be paid to maintaining, if not improving, the current state of purity of the upper San River in the Bieszczady National Park.
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From page 153... ...
The Hydrographic System of Poland 153 increasingly quickly, and a further fall in the low autumnal flow of the Bug signified the depletion of water resources. Originally, there was no natural link between He drainage basins of the Oder and Vistula, or between those of the Oder and German rivers.
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From page 154... ...
Ecology agreements have led to work on the monitoring of border waters and on the creation of transboundary structures for the protection of nature. The latter are exemplified by the Eastem Carpathian International Biosphere Reserve between Poland and Slovakia and by the Bialowieza Biosphere Reserve between Poland and Belarus.
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From page 155... ...
Drainage basin of Vistula river; 2. Drainage basin of Vistula Lagoon; 3.
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From page 156... ...
In this way, the rank of transboundary ecological areas, dominant categories of protection, and areas of conflict may be identified. In the zone under analysis, the following major transboundary ecological areas should be included: Bieszczady Mountains, the border area between Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine; Roztocze area, on the border region between Poland and Ukraine; The drainage basin of the Bug River, on the borders of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus; Bialowieza Primeval Forest, on the border between Poland and Belarus; Mazurian/Lithuanian Lakeland, by the border between Poland and Lithuania; Vistula Lagoon, on the border area between Poland and the Kaliningrad District of the Russian Federation; and Romincka Forest, on the border area between Poland and the Kaliningrad District of the Russian Federation.
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From page 157... ...
· Areas win a predominance of strict protection include: - the Bialowieza Primeval Forest; and - the Bieszczady Mountains. Areas win a predominance of partial protection include: the Mazurian/L ithuan tan Lake land ; the Vistula Lagoon; Roztocze; the Romincka Primeval Forest (Puszcza Romincka)
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From page 158... ...
- International Biosphere Reserve Eastern Carpa~ian Mountains MAB (c) - Biosphere Reserve L~uknajno Lake Wetland reserve of international importance A-Luknajno Lake National Parks (according to Denisiuk 1994, status for 1/1/1993)
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From page 159... ...
Transboundary Natural Systems in Eastern Poland 159 ~ 4 ~ ~ / t~ ~ W~ ;~_.f-l ) ~ ~ ~ -ID ~ ~ ~ ~ 7 ~ Alga i' \~: ~ ~J | if,:> >T ;~-.Z~ L o V A K I ~ ~ ~' wetland reserve of international importance proposed international ecological institutes national parks landscape parks Transboundary areas of special significance for natural conservation and tourism · ~ with exceptional natural and landscape qualities · .
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From page 160... ...
The results of the research have been included In bulletins of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of Be Polish Academy of Sciences entitled, "A Basis for the Development of Poland's Western and Eastern Border Areas". REFERENCES Chorley R., Kennedy B., 1971, Physical Geography: A System Approach, London Degorska B., 1992, Modele strukturalno-funkcjonalne w transgranicznych systemach przyrodniczych (w:)
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From page 161... ...
The Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences acknowledges the cooperation of a number of scientists. Tatjana Nefedova (Soviet Union)
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From page 162... ...
Some of these protective measures include the installation of sewage works, changes in production technologies, and closures of the most burdensome factories. The international nature of environmental problems is made clear by the National Parks of the Bieszczady and Tatra Mountains.
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From page 163... ...
e ^~' ~ amp/ ~d ~~ E ~1 63 prevent Hems to Me no e-ko~e~ Tom pollution. This problem is presented ~ We exact Tom ~ B (Figure 1~.
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