The nature of Podlasie region
by Helen Byron and Małgorzata Górska
The Podlasie region of NE Poland has a number of key wildlife sites, including Augustow and Knyszyn Primeval Forests and the world famous Biebrza River Valley National Park which all lie on the route of existing road number 8. All three sites are designated as Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs) and are, or should be, proposed as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for protection of habitats and other species under EU nature legislation[1]. Together SPAs and SACs form the European ecological network known as Natura 2000.
Although the outstanding nature value of this region has been well known for decades the Polish authorities did not propose Augustow and Knyszyn Primeval Forest as sites for protection under the Habitats Directive until autumn 2007. And it is not just these sites – there are wider concerns about the approach to European wildlife sites in Poland. In 2007, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Poland for its failure to designate sufficient Natura 2000 sites under the Birds and Habitats Directives. In the reference of the case to the European Court of Justice, the European Commission referred to the need for Poland to designate further sites and change the boundaries of some of the sites already designated. After the change of the Polish government in October 2007, the position of the Polish Ministry of Environment changed and it has declared its intention to complete the designation of SPAs by June 2008 and Habitats Directive sites by the end of 2008.
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[1] Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (the ‘Birds Directive’) and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the ‘Habitats Directive’).