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| site description: | The West Polesie Biosphere Reserve was created in April 2002 on the area of 139.917 ha. It includes almost the whole physiographic subregion: Leczna ? Wlodawa Lakeland and small fragments of three other subregions. It stretches from the River Bug in the south-east to the Tysmienica River valley in the north-west. In terms of administration BR ?Polesie Zachodnie? is wholly situated within the Lublin voivodship on the territory of 19 basic provinces (gminas), belonging to 5 administrative districts. One of the most important reasons for this biosphere reserve creation was the unique variety of nature in this part of Polesie and its location on the border of contrast physiographical and ecological structures, the abundance of lakes, bogs, moors and forests, the presence of many relict and rare species and the unique importance of this region in the ecological structure of Europe. Forests (59,6 %) and fields (25,23 %) dominate in the land use structure, but a meaningful share is taken by meadows (7,79%), moors (4,54%), lakes, ponds and rivers (2,84%). Until present day 61 lakes with the surface over 1 ha have survived. Particular lakes are in various stages of succession and contain water of different trophy. Land and water assemblies of macrophytes are extremely interesting. Parts of this area are a miniature of European tundra and forest-tundra which is here the farthest advanced to the south-east in Europe (Fijalkowski, ed. 1960). This is the area of unusual variety of highmoors, transitional moors, lowmoors and ? in some places ? very unique carbonate moors. Large collection of northern plant species (150 species) and simultaneous presence of many plants from Atlantic zone (25 species), east continental zone (43 species) create a curiosity on the European scale (Fijalkowski, ed. 1986). In the region of Leczna ? Wlodawa Lakeland there appear 1466 species of vascular plants, including 12 species from European CORINE list and 10 species from ?Polish Plant Red Data Book?. 98 species of the region?s fauna are listed on the European CORINE list and 25 are in the ?Polish Red Book of Animals? (Chmielewski, ed. 1999). Central part of the Biosphere Reserve constitute the Polesie National Park. It is surrounded by 3 landscape parks: Leczna Lakeland L.P in the west, Polesie L.P. in the center and Sobibór L.P. in the east, joined together with the Polesie Landscape Protected Area. |
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| hierarchical level of plots/objects monitored: | |
| objects investigated by the study |
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| location - geographic co-ordinates: | latitude: 51° 27'' N longitude: 23° 10'' E |
| location - altitude: | 202.8 (above sea level) |
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| hypothesis / problem | Dynamics of changes and contemporary functioning of hydrogenic landscapes of the Łęczna - Włodawa Lakeland |
| aims of studies | 1.Analysis of geological, geomorphological and hydrological conditions of the creation of hydrogenic landscapes in the region that now has the status of ?West Polesie? Biosphere Reserve; 2.Analysis of land use structure in the years 1952 ? 2007; 3.Analysis of features of meso- and topoclimate in the years 1952 ? 2009 and evaluation of changes taking place; 4.Analysis of changes in water relations in the Łęczna-Włodawa Lakeland in the years 1951 ? 2007, with special emphasis on the effect of the meliration system, based on literature data and on materials of the Faculty of Hydrography, UMCS; 5.Changes in water outflow through the main water courses of the Łęczna-Włodawa Lakeland in the years 1952 ? 2009; 6.Analysis of hydro-chemical changes in the studied lakes in the years 1966 ? 2009; 7.Analysis of changes in the phytoplankton of the studied lakes in the years 1966 ? 2009; 8.Study of the geological structure and analysis of processes of development of selected peatbogs, and estimation of the rate of sedimentation of lake sediments; 9.Analysis of succession changes in aquatic phytocenoses and in macrophyte flora of the studied lakes in the period of 1960 ? 2009; 10.Analysis of succession changes in phytocenoses and flora of selected peatbogs in the years 1960 ? 2009; 11.Analysis of changes in rotifer biocenoses against the background on changes in the lake ecosystems; 12.Analysis of changes in the ichthyofauna of the lakes, against the background of the processes of shallowing of the reservoirs, eutrophisation of waters, and plant succession; 13.Analysis of changes in the ornihtofauna of the hydrogenic landscapes of the region in the years 1966 ? 2009; 14.Interdisciplinary synthesis and conclusions (Tadeusz J. Chmielewski). 15.Forecast of the processes of further transformations of hydrogenic landscapes of the region; 16.Proposal of a system of management of the nature resources of the region; 17.Indication of methods and techniques of active conservation of nature values of the region. |
| selection of publications resulting from the project |
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| the time span | data sets |
| from early 70\'- ties of XX century | 1. climate 2. geology, geomorphology, soils 3. characteristic species of plants and animals 4. land use data 5. human population 6. human impact 7. influence of tourists 8. environmental education and public awareness |
| administrative level | time span | kind of data |
| voivodeship | from 90-ties of XX century | 1. demographics 2. transportation 3. education 4. emplyment structure |
| how many people | facility description |
| 100 | PPN |
