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Description
In this project we intervene against the Polish government''s changes to the boundaries of the Świętokrzyski National Park. The Regulation of the Council of Ministers No. RD 162 concerning the park was adopted on 18 January 2022. An area of 1.35 hectares comprising parcels located on the Mount Lysiec was excluded from the park. As prescribed by law, the exclusion from the boundaries of the national park should concern areas that have lost their cultural and natural values. Our research has not shown that such a loss has occurred. Our opinion is confirmed by many scientific institutions and experts, including the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Council of the Świętokrzyski National Park. Furthermore, we reported the matter to the Supreme Audit Office, which also considered the change in the park''s boundaries to be a violation of the law and urged the government to reinstate them. We are making efforts to restore the boundaries of the Swietokrzyski National Park, as well as to enlarge the park by including new naturally valuable areas. We are elaborating a civic project to change the boundaries of the Świętokrzyski National Park. We are organising a nationwide information campaign in traditional and electronic media, with which we want to encourage citizens to support the petition under our project. We need at least 10,000 signatures. We are organising an information conference on project activities, as well as a press conference at the Polish Parliament. We conduct watchdog activities in the Świętokrzyski National Park. We are describing the natural values of the areas we propose to be included in the park. We prepare an application with a proposal to enlarge the area of the park. The recipients of our activities are all citizens of the Republic of Poland, as national parks are our common property and their activities are of great importance for the protection of Poland''s natural heritage, as well as for the prevention of climate change.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was an attempt to restore the ŚPN area to the borders before the regulation of RD 162 of. December 10, 2021 regarding the reduction of the Świętokrzyskie National Park (ŚPN for short). Pursuant to the provisions of the Nature Protection Act, areas that have permanently lost their natural or cultural value may be excluded from National Parks. Our research in ŚPN in 2019/2020, conducted in cooperation with independent experts, did not reveal the occurrence of this condition. Recognized scientific institutions (including the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Council of ŚPN) and many authorities dealing with the issue of nature conservation in Poland agree with our position.
The project activities consisted of developing an application addressed to the Ministry of Climate and Environment and organizing a large social campaign combined with a petition and a civic initiative calling for the restoration of excluded areas and enlarging the borders of ŚPN. We also planned to prepare further publications, legal and scientific opinions. We also carried out citizen inspections of the state of nature in ŚPN. We monitored the activities of local government authorities because we had doubts about the decisions they made. Moreover, we wanted to monitor the activities of the Oblates in the area excluded from the boundaries of ŚPN. We had reports of irregularities in their activities that posed a threat to nature. The issue of reducing the size of the Park to include the area containing monastery buildings used by the above-mentioned Oblate order is complex and involves violations of the law by the most important politicians in Poland. Such actions may lead to a breakdown in the functioning of the nature protection system in Poland. Further discretionary exclusions of areas from other National Parks are possible. As a result, our country''s protected areas would actually decrease.
We organized a social campaign regarding the restoration of the Świętokrzyski National Park (ŚPN) along with an online citizen petition signed by 6,441 people.
We have prepared two petitions in paper and online versions, which were signed by representatives of 91 Polish NGOs.
We have prepared a natural expert opinion on the areas that we have selected for inclusion in the boundaries of the Park. We have reported 3 new naturally valuable areas for inclusion in the boundaries of ŚPN. We submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
We have prepared a publication on the natural values of Łyśiec.
We organized a press and information conference on March 15, 2024 at DŚT Pałacyk Zielińskiego in Kielce. At the conference, we presented the assumptions of the "Roots2" project, as well as the legal situation related to the activities undertaken as part of the "Roots2" project.
As part of the nationwide Common Forest initiative, a walk took place in one of the areas proposed to be included in the boundaries of ŚPN. 23 people participated in it.
We carried out guarding activities and monitoring the state of nature and the type of human impacts in the ŚNP.
On February 21, 2024, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Michał Dorożała announced that the Government of the Republic of Poland was canceling the regulation RD 162 reducing the area of ŚNP. At the same time, a declaration was made that the three new areas we proposed would be included in the boundaries of ŚPN. Therefore, our 5-year efforts and project assumptions have been partially realized. There is still no legal decision, but there is a consensus of the Government of the Republic of Poland, M.O.S.T, ŚPN management, and scientists that actions aimed at excluding part of the area from the boundaries of the National Park were not legal. Moreover, thanks to our intervention, Orange abandoned the idea of building a photovoltaic farm in ŚPN. Changes to the boundaries of ŚPN will now be discussed during public consultations in the communes neighboring the National Park.