More information
Description
The project contributes to counteracting the main threats to biodiversity of the reserve “Czerwone Bog Woodland” (valuable peatbog: nature reserve, Natura 2000 and Ramsar Convention site):
drainage of the fen (drainage ditches), natural succession of woody vegetation (overgrowing with Scots pine), anthropogenic pressure (littering, exploration beyond designated routes); anthropogenic degradation of the entire Orawsko-Nowotarskie Mire complex (Natura 2000 site) – also due to improper local land management practices.
Nature monitoring of biotic / abiotic parameters. Improved land mgmnt. practices in surrounding municipalities (workshops for local authorities and other stakeholders). Wetland awareness raising – local schools and general public (media campaign). Cooperation w/NO partner – sharing know-how on wetland mgmnt.
Improved state and condition of peatbog ecosystem in a Ramsar site.
Improved awareness and management practices on mountain wetlands.
Supporting implementation of the Carpathian Convention.
Local authorities – better land management practices
Tourists, teachers and pupils, general public – increased awareness on wetlands
Regional nature protection agency – improved capacity.
Nature and Man Foundation (PL) – key role: in charge of active nature protection measures as well as coordination on nature (biotic and abiotic) monitoring of ecosystem condition and effectiveness of project activities. Networking with key institutional stakeholders (State Forestry, regional nature protection authorities). Administrative procedures. Asplan Viak AS – exchange of know-how on wetland management and conservation in Poland and Norway – incl. presentation at project final conference. Liaison with relevant Norwegian entities (also during the project study visit).
Summary of project results
Project Objective: Increase awareness among those responsible for shaping urban spaces and city residents, especially youth, about the role of urban green areas and the value of the ecosystem services they provide.
Problem Diagnosis to be Addressed by the Project: Current data shows that the number of green areas in Polish cities is decreasing (GUS 2019) and that 17% fewer trees are planted than are cut down (NIK 2018). Experts indicate that one of the reasons is the lack of full awareness of the value of services provided by these areas among those shaping urban spaces and city residents.
Maintaining urban greenery generates costs. Since these costs are known, but the value of the services provided by urban greenery is not, simple economic calculations resulting from low ecological awareness often mistakenly indicate that maintaining these areas is unprofitable. Previous campaigns, appealing to the need to preserve green areas without economic arguments, have not yielded satisfactory results. The project proposes a different method, namely referring to the concept of ecosystem services. This concept presents a relatively new, anthropocentric approach to increasing ecological awareness by emphasizing the economic benefits that city residents derive from the presence of urban green areas.
Project Outcomes: Increased awareness among those responsible for shaping urban spaces and city residents about the role of urban green areas and the value of the ecosystem services they provide.
Target Group: Individuals responsible for shaping urban spaces (officials and others working with them) and city residents, including school youth.
- Scientific Research: A total of 50 urban green areas were analyzed. The areas were located in the cities of Rzeszów, Lidzbark Warmiński, Szczytno, Miasteczko Śląskie, and Przasnysz. The results of the conducted research served as the basis for an educational campaign, webinars, and competitions for students in the partner cities.
- Geoportal: Developed by UNEP/GRID-Warsaw in cooperation with the project partner Asplan Viak. The geoportal contains the results of the scientific research conducted within the project by environmental economists.
- Poster Campaign: Posters were prepared to inform residents of the partner cities about the benefits they gain from the presence of urban trees and to encourage them to visit the project''s website. The printed posters were placed in the communication systems of the partner cities, such as information boards, notice boards, advertising columns, and bus stops.
- Educational Boards: Educational boards with information obtained from the scientific research were installed in the partner cities. These boards were personalized for each project area where the board was installed.
- Webinars for Students: Educational webinars for students aged 12-18, attending primary and secondary schools in the partner cities. The webinars were conducted by experts from UNEP/GRID-Warsaw. A total of 5 educational webinars were conducted within the project. Representatives of the partner cities responsible for urban greenery also participated in the webinars, discussing the challenges related to urban greenery in their respective cities.
- Student Competition: As part of the competition, students working in groups inventoried selected trees. Based on the knowledge gained during the educational webinars, they checked the benefits provided by the trees. They prepared short video materials promoting the inventoried trees.
- Website: A channel for disseminating information about the project to the general public. To facilitate navigation, the website consisted of (1) 5 sections dedicated to activities carried out in the individual partner cities, (2) a general section summarizing information about all partner cities.
- Media Campaign: In cooperation with the editorial team of the noizz.pl portal, materials promoting the project on a national scale were prepared. The cooperation resulted in: (1) three native articles, (2) a quiz, (3) an infographic, (4) a short video, (5) a series of social media posts.
- Workshops and Handbook for Decision-Makers: A handbook for decision-makers and workshops during which decision-makers from the partner cities could exchange their experiences in managing urban greenery. The workshops also included a presentation of the handbook. Good practices regarding the revitalization of urban spaces from Norway were also presented during the workshops.
- Poster Campaign: A total of 500 posters were placed in the five partner cities (an average of 100 posters per partner city).
- Educational Boards: A total of 50 educational boards were created and installed – 10 in each partner city.
- Webinars for Students: The total number of students who participated exceeded 750.
- Student Competition: The competition involved 54 students, representing 11 teams.
- Media Campaign: The media campaign reached over 95,000 unique users, over 204,000 social media recipients, and the prepared video was viewed by nearly 400,000 people.
Summary of bilateral results
The Beneficiary has maintained fruitful collaboration with the Norwegian Partner – Asplan Viak AS – for many years, long prior to this particular Project. Joint competences and technological solutions offered by Asplan Viak and UNEP/GRID-Warsaw provided valuable added value in a variety of projects related to – or involving – geoinformation and spatial data management, GIS, geovisualization of spatial data, etc. One particular field of collaboration, technology-wise, were IT solutions enabling the development of geoportals: mapping applications very useful in analyzing, in an interactive and dynamic way, a range of spatial data. Therefore, for this particular Project, establishing partnership and collaboration with our long-standing and proven Norwegian Partner was a natural and logical decision. Besides the technological exchange and support in the field of IT and geosolutions, in this particular Project offered sharing with good practices in the revitalization of urban spaces in Norway. The bilateral cooperation between UNEP/GRID-Warsaw is planned to be furthered and continued in the future – in all aspect of environmental management and technological geoinformation solutions.