Project LIFE13 NAT/PL/000009 LIFEDrawaPL
Active protection of water-crowfoots habitats and restoration of wildlife corridor in the River Drawa basin in Poland. Protection of habitat 3260 Lowland and submontane rivers with Ranunculion fluitantis communities is to be realised within the project in the rivers of Western Pomerania (Poland): Radew, Grabowa and Korytnica. The protection of water-crowfoots habitats will positively affect both the Drawa and biodiversity increase of its tributaries.
The rivers Drawa, Korytnica, Grabowa and Radew are the most important Western-Pomeranian lowland and maritime rivers with habitats 3260 Lowland and submontane rivers with Ranunculion fluitantis communities. In Poland these are the rivers where water-crowfoots (Batrachium sp.) are located on the eastern border of the geographical scope of their occurrence and are particularly vulnerable to the adverse transformation of river habitats, which cause their regression.
The fundamental environmental problem, which is planned to be solved within the framework of the project’s activities, is the lack of effective fish and lampreys migration along the ecological corridor which the whole basin is. The patency improvement of the Drawa will be implemented where barriers preventing fish and lampreys migration exist across the whole basin, so also in Drawieński National Park. The restoration of the wildlife corridor will be achieved by adjusting the hydraulic structures to the ecology of migratory species: 1099 river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis),1106 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar),1163 European bullhead (Cottus gobio) and 1149 spined loach (Cobitis taenia).
Only in the application of Life+ Instrument it is possible to implement the LifeDrawaPL project, comprehensive and covering all aspects of active protection. The task starts with a preparatory phase, during which the best methods and ways of acting will be work out, through the implementation of specific protection tasks with the possibility to apply innovative ways of protection in combination with an information campaign for the subject of protection, as well as remaining in contact with other ongoing projects of a similar nature.
Additionally, financing the costs related to employment of personnel required for the implementation of planned activities is possible to a large extent. There is also a possibility to perform other important tasks, which can appear as early as during the project, as part of overall costs.
By funds available to Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Szczecin and solely by national funding it is not possible to finance activities planned in the project.
That is why Life+ is the only source of funding which enables t undertake quickly the tasks necessary for protection of the habitats and species listed in the project.
Main goals:
- Aim 1 preservation and improvement of water-crowfoots habitats protection status 3260 Lowland and submontane rivers with Ranunculion fluitantis communities in five Nature 2000 habitat areas.
- Aim 2 reintroduction of opposite-leaved pondweed (Groenlandia densa) in the rivers Radew, Grabowa and Korytnica, the species typical for habitat 3260 Lowland and submontane rivers with Ranunculion fluitantis communities.
- Aim 3 enhancement of natural procreation of the following species : 1099 river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis),1106 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar),1163 European bullhead (Cottus gobio) and 1149 spined loach (Cobitis taenia).
- Aim 4 increase of public awareness on the issues of ecosystem services and sustainable economic development in the region of water-crowfoots rivers.
