Polish wetlands and marshland birds: Looking for undisturbed references

Abstract

With the loss of natural wetlands in western Europe, conservationists involved in 'restoration projects' become increasingly interested in eastern Europe for reference. In Poland, for example, still some 5% of the country is covered by fen mires, raised peat bogs and other types of wetlands. Although not in a pristine state anymore, size and quality of these wetlands are still sufficient to guarantee high biodiversity and a buffer against stochastic events. If anything, these reserves show that size really matters, and also that any attempt at 'restoration' of a pristine state is doomed to failure. wetlands, Poland, human disturbance, marshland birds.