“PROTECTING THE HABITATS OF PRIORITY BIRD SPECIES OF THE VISTULA VALLEY UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF INTENSIVE PRESSURE OF WARSAW AGGLOMERATION”

Project objectives:

– Breeding colonies restoration of priority species of waders, gulls and terns belonging to order Charadriiformes on the middle urban area of Special Protection Area (SPA) Nature 2000 Dolina Środkowej Wisły (Middle Vistula Valley) within Warsaw borders.
– The improvement of internal cohesion of the SPA Nature 2000 Dolina Środkowej Wisły by restoration of habitats characteristic for braided rivers like Middle-stream of Vistula river within Warsaw borders.
– Assurance in improvement of protection quality in the SPA Nature 2000 by means of rising up ecological knowledge citizens of Warsaw in area of threatened bird species protection, throughout shifting they land-use behaviour in SPA Nature 2000, and engaging in protection actions for birds and habitats in Vistula Valley.
– Assurance in maintain formal and institutional collaboration among public bodies managing the area in common field of protection principles in the SPA Nature 2000 in Warsaw.

Fot. Jakub Badełek

Expected project’s results:

• 1. New stable islands and 4 floating islands created on Vistula river. The number of shoals and shallows on the riverbanks of the riverbed increased. Thanks to those the habitat conditions will be created, that will increase the effectiveness of bird broods, create new fish spawning areas – creating main food for birds, on which the projects focuses, and will increase the feeding area for terns, gulls and other bird species.
• 2. Artificial islands create stability of Little Tern and Common Tern population in the project’s area – their presence will lead to creation of at least 4 new stable colonies of waders, which will fill in the gap on the river within Warsaw in Natura 2000 area “Middle Vistula Valley”.
• 3. The number of random disturbance of birds will decrease thanks to designation of access points for Warsaw citizens, the restrictions of access in other places and implemented information campaigns.
• 4. The conditions of conservation of at least 100 bird species inhabiting the project’s area will be better, also the integrity of the area thanks to implementation of concrete conservation actions.
• 5. Simultaneous bird monitoring schemes conducted by traditional method and by methods supported by teleinformatics technology will increase the effectiveness of project actions.
• 6. Site Management Plan will depict standards of landscape management and nature conservation, those standards will be added to local plans and Area Management Action Plans.
• 7. The project will contribute to the propagation of bird conservation in area neighbouring with big cities and will depict possibilities of improvement of biodiversity in big, lowland, regulated river valleys.