Conservation of the Natura 2000 Areas in the Context of Environmental Changes in Past and Present: a Case from the Polish Carpathians Geoheritage

Abstract

The Ecological Network Natura 2000 project has been implemented in Poland since 2004, based on the Act on Nature Conservation. The Natura 2000 areas are often distinguished by particular values of the geological heritage, and sometimes also of cultural heritage. According to the premises of the programme, natural habitat should be identified by the conditions of occurrence and mutual relationships between the abiotic and biotic elements. Despite this assumption, in many cases, their valuation and description of the abiotic features is too cursory, and sometimes, it is even lacking. The valley of the Tarnawka River in the Polish Carpathians is the selected example of a Natura 2000 area. The presented characteristic of this area constitutes a supplement to its importance in the field of geological and cultural heritage. Also documented was the history of causes and changes of the natural environment dating back to the early Middle Ages. The physiographic characteristic of the area and the results of analysing the past transformations of its environment provide very rich material. It should be useful and used not only to supplement the importance of the area but also to conduct the comparative evaluation of the current and potential changes and threats caused by natural processes but, above all, by human activities.