the Environmental Protection Act


According to the Environmental Protection Act to the forms of nature protection area include:

  • National Park (the most important form of protection of nature in our country. This includes areas above 1,000 hectares outstanding special natural values and landscape. In Poland there are 23)
  • Nature (the area below 500 ha to protect ecosystems, endangered species and inanimate nature. In Poland there are over 1,400 such areas)
  • Landscape park (protected areas due to natural, cultural and natural, which can result in reduced economic activity. There are 122).       

 

During the project, the project group met Świętokrzyski National Park and Paradise Cave, Przedbórz Landscape Park and two reserves lying within it: Grasslands Dobromierskie and Beech Mountain.     

Jaskinia Raj ( Paradise Cave )


Jaskinia Raj (Paradise Cave), which lays on Malik's hill in Chęciny is a rich in flowstone decoration place. It's a typical karst cave developed in limestones. Length of natural system is 240 m, and depth 9,5m. Since 1972 shared to visiting. It's the most beautiful cave in Poland. The cave was inhabit to Neanderthal. The richest in flowstone decoration is Hall of stalactites.

Paradise cave is protected as nature reserve and an archaeological site.

Świętokrzyski National Park


Świętokrzyski National Park is located in a central part of Świętokrzyskie Mountains and it features Łysogóry Mountain Range, Łysa Góra and Klonowskie Mountain Range. It was established in 1950.

 

The main Mountain Range (Łysogórskie) is made  mostly of Cambrian  Quarzsands, which are one of the oldest rocks in Poland, existing on the surface. On this rocks as a result of periglacial climat and strong weathering process famous rock rubbles were made. Today we can see them only on north hillsides of Łysa Góra and Łysica  massife. They are in tight protection of nature reserve. 

On the Park area we can also see some younger creations from Mesozoik and Cenozioc. 

 

Vegetal cover of the park in the majority has autogenic character, it means  that it was was a result of nature work without human's help. Świętokrzyskie Mountains are covered in  the fir forest which is protected too. In the park there is a 270 years old silver fir which has about 51 m. and is regarded as the highest tree in Poland. The vast majority of forest surface of the park occupies beech and beech-fir forests, and mixed forests. 

 

Plants which are protected are: mezereon, goat's beard, lilium martagon, siberian iris, globeflower and heath spotter-orchid.

 

On this terrain lives about 4000 species of animals. Among them are species which are postglacial relict for example some inscts, snails and amphibians.

Protect animals are: lesser spotted eagle, black stork, bats, weasles, ermines, beavers, elks, roe deers, wild board and snakes.

Przedbórz Landscape Park


Przedbórz Landscape Park - lies between Czarna Włoszczowska the southern and northern part of the bands Przedborsko-Małogoskie. It belongs to the team Nadpilicznych Landscape Parks. Forests cover approx. 68% of the Park. These are mainly pine forests and beech, oak, hornbeam and alder. Flora Park has more than 900 plant species, including 39 rare and protected species. Among them they deserve special attention steppe species and thermophilic: dwarf cherry, stemless carline thistle, Anemone sylvestris, lady's slipper orchid.

 

 

In the forests of the Park live a large forest mammals: elk, deer, roe deer, wild boar and badger. The river otter lives, and the Reserve Piskorzeniec Introduced were beavers. Among the smaller species there is a stoat and a weasel. There is a 168 species of birds. The rarest of these are: white-tailed eagle, osprey, lesser spotted eagle, Montagu's harrier, black stork, crane, black grouse, owl, black-tailed godwit, woodpecker, kingfisher. Among the fish are mostly common species, the rarest found here dwarf catfish and grass carp.

 

 Within Przedborski Landscape Park are 5 nature reserves:

  • Beech Mountain (protection of forests of beech)
  • Murawy Dobromierskie (protection of steppe vegetation)
  • Piskorzeniec (Protection of peat bogs)
  • Black Rod (protection of deciduous forests)
  • Oleszno (Protection of deciduous forests)   

Reserve steppe grasslands Dobromierskie


Reserve steppe grasslands Dobromierskie occupies the southern slopes of the hill with an area of 36.29 hectares, in which there are limestone rocks. Soil and climatic conditions and human activities have contributed to the formation of xerothermic flora (eg .: dwarf cherry, stemless carline thistle). The reserve is the richest concentration of plants steppe across the northern highlands Środkowomałopolskiej. 

Beech Mountain Forest


Beech Mountain Forest Reserve with an area of 34.80 ha occupies the top of one of the highest hills of the north-western extremity of bands Przedborsko-Małogoskie. The object of protection is a fragment of a beech forest on a primary species of protected plants in the undergrowth (eg .: Turk's cap lily, anemone sylvestris, daphne, red helleborine, lady's slipper orchid). These forests are the largest and most valuable in the district grouping beech forests.