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Description
The aim of the project is to counteract the negative effects of settlement, tourism and forestry on the environmentally valuable areas around Lake Limajno in the Warmian–Masurian Province. We want to involve the local community in active intervention, education and monitoring activities in the area around the lake. The need for such activities is expressed by people who have observed the progressive degradation of the natural environment around the lake: littering, water pollution and deforestation. A problem highlighted by local people is the negative impact of the expansion of tourism infrastructure and forest management on the environment. In this project, we support the local community in effectively influencing the decisions of local authorities regarding plans for the expansion of tourism infrastructure and forest management. We carry out a natural inventory of valuable species and habitats with the participation of experts, which will be introduced into the emerging Forest Management Plan of the Kudypy Forest District. We are training the so-called ‘nature wardens’ and involving the local community in ongoing environmental monitoring in the area around Lake Limajno.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the problem of the negative effects of settlement pressure, tourism and forest management on the naturally valuable areas around Lake Limajno. The need to implement the project was indicated by the local community, which has observed dynamic negative changes in its surroundings in recent years, manifested in the deteriorating condition of the environment around the lake - littering, water pollution, expansion of tourist infrastructure at the expense of naturally valuable elements, intensification of forest management resulting in the cutting down of mature forests, etc. The inventory work was aimed at detecting nests of rare bird species in order to include them in protection zones.
The project included:
- School of Nature Guardians, where we trained 10 people in the field of environmental and ecological intervention - the Guardians trained within the project and equipped with knowledge on how to conduct interventions helped us implement project activities, and currently conduct independent activities related to the protection of the natural environment
- educational meetings in schools
- intervention actions aimed at eliminating/mitigating the effects of threats to the environment identified by the Nature Guardians, including the elimination of wild garbage dumps, preventing the destruction of habitats of protected species, limiting the range of invasive plant species and other threats
- inventory of habitats of rare bird species - as a result of the inventory work, 20 new protection zones were introduced to the Forest Management Plan, which will prevent economic work and forest cutting in these areas. - activities of the civic coalition - an informal group of local social activists involved in nature conservation, representatives of NGOs, public administration employees - at the request of the Foundation and the Civic Coalition, changes were introduced, among others, to the resolution of the Dobre Miasto Council regarding the expansion of county road no. 1447, introducing provisions on special consideration of natural conditions when conducting documentation work. Thanks to the implementation of the project, significant areas of the Kudypy forest district have been included in the protection zone. This will have an impact on the preservation of biodiversity sanctuaries and the original landscape in areas covered by intensive forest management.
Participants of the Nature Guardian School training courses acquired the knowledge and experience necessary to independently conduct environmental interventions. Our Guardians are currently participants, and often organizers of intervention actions for the protection of the natural environment. During the implementation of the project, we were also in constant contact with representatives of the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection and the Kudypy Forest District, with whom we consulted our proposals to be included in the Forest Management Plan for the Kudypy Forest District for the years 2024-2033. The effect of these activities was the submission of 2 documents with our proposals. The first, concerning the creation of forests with an increased social function around Lake Limajno. The second concerned proposals for the protection of bird habitats under zone protection inventoried by our ornithologists. During the coalition meetings, we developed an action plan for environmental protection in the Dobre Miasto Commune and the entire Kudypy Forest District.