Guide on the development of green infrastructure in the Carpathians

Picturesque Wisłoka river. Photo: Marek Maczuga, archives of the Association of Communes of the Wisłoka River Basin Nowy Żmigród, Osiek Jasielski, Pilzno, Sękowa, Skołyszyn, Szerzyny, Tarnowiec, Żyraków. The Union’s aim is to improve the condition of the natural environment and promote sustainable socio-economic development of the region. More information can be found on the Union’s website: www.wisloka.pl. Theme “Blue and green infrastructure in the service of nature education and natural retention”. This work was intended to be the first and model example of adaptation of oxbow lakes to mitigate climate change, improve natural retention and support animal and plant migration areas. It also envisages measures aimed at adapting oxbow lakes to non-invasive green tourism. Project rationale / status diagnosis The Wisłoka River and its tributaries flow through a region with unique natural and scenic values. Within the catchment area of the Wisłoka, Jasiołka and Ropa rivers, the following protected areas are located: the Magura National Park, several landscape parks (Jaśliski, Czarnorzecko- Strzyżowski and the Brzanki Mountain Range), nature reserves and protected landscape areas. 149

Jasiołka river oxbow in Jasło - general view. Photo: Karol Ciężak A wide-ranging river regulation carried out in the inter-war period resulted in the loss of a natu- ral, wildlife character of many valleys, including the valleys of the Wisłoka, Jasiołka and Ropa. A decrease in habitat diversity, faster pace of eutrophication processes, and the drying of land can be observed, leading to rapid disappearance of oxbow lakes. The development of industry, agriculture, the related chemical contamination of rivers, and the discharging of untreated municipal wastewater also had an adverse impact on that river. Nevertheless, the current improvement in the state of the environment provides a window of opportunity to restore, at least partially, the natural functions of that river, and to strengthen the region’s natural retention. The problem, however, is low environmental awareness regarding natural values of oxbow lakes. Moreover, numerous illegal waste dumps are located within the project area. Project area The proposed project’s area is situated within the city of Jasło, in the area of oxbow lakes located close to the Hankówka settlement, which formed part of the Jasiołka river in the past. Most of this site is located in the vicinity of a railway line. The Natura 2000 site: Wisłoka River with Tributaries PLH180052 is located there. 150

Opracowano ze środków projektu LIFE16 GIE/PL/ Mapa 2. Starorzecze Jasiołki w Jaśle Legenda: 000648, współfinansowanego przez Unię Europejską Siedliska przyrodnicze, gatunki inwazyjne, zabiegi ochronne w ramach Programu LIFE oraz Narodowy Fundusz winobluszcz zaroślowy Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej niecierpek gruczołowaty kolczurka klapowata nasadzenia_91E0 nasadzenia podpiętrzające przebudowa ujścia rowu przebudowa przepustu planowany przepust siedlisko 91E0 siedlisko 3150 punkt_widokowy ścieżka_edukacyjna Jasiołka river oxbow in Jasło - map of the results of the nature inventory. Source: Engel et al. Nature inventory of the Jasiołka river oxbow in Jasło. Local initiative / case study The objectives of the proposed initiative are: ◆ popularisation of the value of green and blue infrastructure that directly support oxbow lakes’ natural features, ◆ improving natural retention, ◆ conservation and enhancement of the biodiversity of oxbow lakes, ◆ recreation of a part of the ecological corridor along the Jasiołka River, ◆ improvement of the ecological condition of the Jasiołka River, ◆ restoration of integrity of the area of Natura 2000 area Wisłoka River with Tributaries PLH180052, 151

◆ enhanced flood protection in the Jasiołka valley, ◆ increased public interest in the Wisłoka and Jasiołka valleys as a place of recreation, ◆ promotion of these rivers as important nature refuges and ecological corridors, ◆ making the public aware of the need to protect wetlands of this kind. As a result of the implementation of this project, the municipality will be offered guidelines for the protection of the oxbow lakes site in the form of a description and a map, which may provide the basis for placing this area under a legal form of nature protection. The residents will gain an attractive recreation location, and teachers will have an opportunity to conduct nature education in the field. Thanks to higher ecological awareness, the residents will be more concerned about areas of high nature value. Partnerships The entities co-operating under the project are: the district authorities (Starost Office) in Jasło, the Society for the Earth, GreenMind, and the Save Rivers Coalition. Description of actions The Team has promoted the issues relating to green infrastructure and its competition entry at several events: ◆ last year’s edition of the “Sunny Days with the Union of Wisłoka Basin Municipalities” event – a video report from that event can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/i0AifRw8KmE; ◆ training workshops for teachers and local government officials, including lectures by experts; ◆ the conference entitled “Downstream the Wisłoka – Let’s Get Acquainted!”, ◆ workshops for students of three local schools. The Team conducted an online survey entitled “Greenery – the comfort of living” among the staff of the Union, office staff of the 22 municipalities’ local self-government authorities and in schools (teachers, students). The respondents answered 11 questions regarding whether the residents consider these areas to be valuable and attractive, what is important about them, and what can be changed in the future so that they can better serve the inhabitants. An inventory of green infrastructure was performed, too. The main nature planned to be incor- porated into the application were a body of water and wetlands, as blue infrastructure elements, 152

and the elements of green infrastructure found in its immediate vicinity – single trees, bushes and their groups, field margins, meadows. Field trips were planned during a period following the start of the school year, so that teachers and students could be involved in the cooperation. The mapped elements create a spatial arrangement coherent with the Jasiołka River valley. As the mapping of the Jasiołka area and the analysis of blue infrastructure on the Ropa and Wisłoka rivers show, all the three rivers of the Jasło region, i.e. the Wisłoka, the Jasiołka and the Ropa, despite the existing embankments and strong house construction, may still (with some limited commitment on the part of the local authorities) constitute additional migration corridors. The Team allocated the funds received as part of the award to a comprehensive nature inventory of the area of oxbow lakes of the Jasiołka River. That inventory was performed during three cycles of field inspections, which covered both the oxbow lakes including the riparian zone and the area located within the “horseshoe” – between its eastern and western branches. In the course of the inspections, mammal, bird, fish, amphibian and plant species were iden- tified, as well as the habitats found within the area under study. The status of protection of the habitats was also evaluated, and recommendations for their improvement and threat minimization were presented. In addition, the Team set up a photography competition for students from schools in the Union’s municipalities, concerning trees and their versatile functions as green infrastructure elements. It is planned to publish a calendar with the winning entries (to be financed with the Project’s funds). In Wisłoka river catchment. Photo: Marek Maczuga, archives of the Association of Communes of the Wisłoka River Basin 153

The “Żywiecki Raj” Team (Laureate) Association – Local Action Group “Żywiecki Raj” (“Żywiec Paradise”), grouping 14 municipalities in the Żywiec region. Theme The Team focused on creating a tourist product based on the pastoral landscape of Beskid Mały (Little Beskid). The proposed tourist offering concerns the rich nature of open mountain areas and the stone sheds, which are a unique ethnographic attraction of Beskid Mały. These structures, ostensibly associated primarily with the cultural heritage, are also important from the nature point of view: their wall and wooden elements are nesting places of numerous insects (approx. 100 species), and – especially in the case of sheds that are in ruins – of reptiles, for example. They are also inhabited by bats. In one known case, a ruined shed served as a bear’s winter den. Project rationale / status diagnosis In the Team’s opinion, there exists a problem of insufficient recreational, tourist and educational infrastructure, due to which the huge natural, scenic and cultural potential of Beskid Mały remains untapped. Hence, the proposed initiative consists in constructing a tourist product around the unique landscape values of Beskid Mały, especially in the municipalities of Czernichów and Łodygowice which particularly abound in them. Project area The project encompasses the areas of Czernichów and Łodygowice municipalities situated within the Natura 2000 Beskid Mały site and the Beskid Mały Landscape Park. Actions are planned in several locations: on the Cieniowa Glade in the Roztoka Stream Valley, on the Czupla glades, on the Tomalowa Glade under the Kościelec Moutain, on the glades on the slopes of the Kiczera Mountain and within the State Forests land and on the territory of Forest and Pasture Community. Local initiative / case study The most important objective of the project is the protection of natural values and the conser- vation of a harmonious, largely untransformed cultural landscape. The creation of a rich 154

Old traditional shed on a meadow near Jaworzyna. Photo: Krzysztof Haase tourist offering based on the advantages of the Czernichów and Łodygowice municipalities would help to exploit their tourist potential and raise the environmental awareness of local residents and tourists alike. The Team has planned a number of measures for the shaping of green infrastructure and environmental education: ◆ inventory of forest clearings within the Czernichów and Łodygowice municipalities; ◆ mowing/grazing on selected forest clearings; ◆ preparation of the educational path concepts within the Czernichów and Łodygowice municipalities; ◆ preparation of the concept of Green Control Points, orienteering maps; ◆ designation, marking and preparation of information boards for the educational paths that have been created; ◆ designation, marking and preparation of Green Control Points. As part of a “Green Control Point”, maps of the selected forest fragment will be developed for orienteering, of forest areas with permanent control points, with information boards at the activity starting point; 155

an educational package will be also prepared, a mobile application is planned at the next stage; ◆ preparation of three information boards about the pastoral landscape and stone sheds; ◆ establishment of an educational apiary in a forest clearing; ◆ preparation of documentation – a description of stone sheds in the Beskid Mały, incl. publication of an information booklet; ◆ reconstruction/construction of stone sheds; ◆ development, use and promotion of a quest about stone sheds; ◆ cooperation with the Żywiec Region Highlanders Division of the Polish Highlanders Association (Związek Podhalan), the “Roztoka” Cultural Association – setting up meetings about increasing knowledge about historic forms of pastoralism, debates, meetings etc. about pastoral landscape and lifestyle; ◆ “Haymaking on the glade” – organisation of a folklore event; ◆ preparation of educational aids for school classes about pastoral landscape; ◆ photography, art, ecological competition; Ruins of the wooden shed on Sobiakowa Meadow. Photo: Krzysztof Haase 156

Ruins of the stone shed near Cisowa Grapa. Photo: Krzysztof Haase ◆ creation of a social media profile and materials for a website relating to the development of a tourist product; ◆ ecological promotion of the project; ◆ creation of the Environmental Education Centre in Czernichów Municipality; ◆ creation of an educational farmstead in Czernichów Municipality; ◆ creation of an eco-museum; ◆ organisation of ecological, educational camps, day camps; ◆ family, school nature tours. Partnerships The municipalities of Czernichów and Łodygowice established a partnership to implement the project. In addition, project participants include: ◆ local government units at the poviat (district) level: the Poviat Starost’s Office, the union of municipalities: Intermunicipal Union for Ecology in Żywiec, Municipal Cultural Centre in Łodygowice, Municipal Cultural and Social Centre in Czernichów; 157

Stone shed on Cinalkowa Meadow. Photo: Krzysztof Haase ◆ a number of local non-governmental social, cultural and tourist organisations; ◆ local communities including: the village head of Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, the forester of the Czernichów forest district, Czernichów municipality residents, pre-schoolers, students and teachers from primary schools and a pre-school in Międzybrodzie Żywieckie and Czernichów municipalities. Description of actions During the Children’s Day picnic, information activities were carried out regarding green infrastructure and its role in the conservation of natural and landscape values of the municipalities and in local development. An inventory and mapping of green infrastructure elements was performed using the Project-developed mobile application. The Team allocated the funds received as part of the award to the production of an educational publication, along with lesson plans for regional education, and a nature film.  Both materials present the unique history and pastoral landscape of Beskid Mały, with mid-forest clearings (glades) and stone sheds, which are a unique natural, landscape and cultural feature. Besides cultural aspects relating primarily to the migration of the Wallachians and their influence on the region’s art, ceremonies or architecture, those materials also deal with natural aspects – the role of traditional farming and forms of land use in the shaping of 158

green infrastructure and the protection of semi-natural non-forest ecosystems and valuable species associated with open areas. The “Sucha Beskidzka” Team (Special Distinction) The Competition Team is composed of the following entities: ◆ District (Poviat Starost’) self-government Office in Sucha Beskidzka ◆ Municipality of Zawoja ◆ “Podbabiogórze” Local Action Group Theme Improved accessibility for tourism combined with the protection of valuable ecosystems against excessive tourist pressure within the Natura 2000 areas encompassing the Polica Range. Krupowa meadow in Policy range. Photo: kkrexc, Getty Images (via Canva) 159

Project rationale / status diagnosis The possible threats to green infrastructure and ecological connectivity within the project area include: climate conditions, mostly droughts, and their ecological consequences, such as gradual disappearance of nature habitats, tree diseases, invasion of predator species, and also contamination of the environment and excessive anthropogenic pressure, associated with low ecological awareness levels and poor habits of the residents and tourists. Identified issues: ◆ lack of proper designation and marking of tourist trails; ◆ lack of nature related information: no markings or descriptions of Natura 2000 areas including the Polica Mountain are present at the points of access to tourist trails; ◆ within the Polica summit area and on the Śmietanowa Meadow – tourist flows are dispersed, resulting in the trampling of trails and adjacent areas, which are frequently of high nature value (especially at scenic view sites); ◆ lack of shelters for tourists during inclement weather; ◆ adverse development of ecological corridors due to construction of permanent holiday homes (for example, the Hujdy hamlet near Zawoja); ◆ insufficient awareness of inhabitants and guests alike regarding spatial development and green infrastructure. Project area The proposed project will be carried out primarily within the Zawoja municipality and also in a portion of the Bystra-Sidzina municipality area, in the vicinity of a summit located within the Polica Range on the north-eastern side of the Krowiarki Pass. On the northern Polica slopes, there is a forest nature reserve named after Zenon Klemensiewicz, a Jagiellonian University professor, linguist and educator, who was killed a plane crash on the Polica slopes in 1969. This nature reserve lies at an altitude of 1200-1369 metres above sea level and encompasses more than 58 ha of high-mountain natural upper montane zone spruce forest. Numerous species of protected plants and birds are found there, including inter alia the Pseudogauritona excellens, a beetle species endemic to the Carpathians. Also of interest and worthy of protection are blue infrastructure elements: mountain streams and the picturesque Mosorczyk waterfall. This nature reserve forms part of two Natura 2000 sites: the “Pasmo Policy” bird area PLB120006 and the “Na Policy” habitat area – PLH120012. It also includes the buffer zone of the Babiogór- 160

View from the vicinity of Krupowa meadow on Babia Mountain. Photo: kkrexc, Getty Images (via Canva) ski National Park and the area of the “Skawica Valley” nature-and-landscape complex. The following nature monuments were identified within the access zone to the trails leading to the Polica summit: the limes by the chapel on Policzne, the elm in the centre of Zawoja, and the oak in Sidzinia. Objectives / expected results The objectives of the proposed project are: ◆ to protect, promote blue and green infrastructure in the Polica Mountain range; ◆ to raise awareness of the role of green infrastructure, spatial development, ecological corridors, cultivation of native trees; ◆ to increase and enhance the use of the existing tourist infrastructure; ◆ to reduce the impact of tourist flows on valuable habitats in the Natura 2000 areas. The expected effect of the implementation of this task will be: ◆ more effective protection of areas of high nature value (tourists will be “kept within” the trails, there will be no more trampling of areas outside the trails, which will have a positive effect for the protection of species and habitats, and the ecological connectivity will be preserved); 161

◆ improved information regarding green and blue (mountain watercourses) infrastructure of the Polica Range; ◆ support for sustainable development through partial redirection of tourist flows towards less frequented areas; ◆ strengthened services (the Polica Range as a second day option for tourists coming to Zawoja, Bystra Sidzina – in most cases tourists limit their stay to one day they spend on the Babia Góra Mountain), using the current tourist base (the existing tourist shelter on the Krupowa Meadow, as a minimum). The implementation of this project will contribute to the protection of biodiversity in the areas of high nature value in the Polica Range through improved management of tourist flows: keeping tourist within and close to the trail, limiting the dispersion of these flows – which will have a positive impact on the protection of species and habitats (preventing fragmentation and degradation, improving ecological connectivity). In the socio-economic context, the project’s implementation will contribute to greater aware- ness of the attractiveness of the municipalities of Zawoja and Bystra Sidzina, that Natura 2000 sites exist there; the development of tourism in this region may lead to an increased vocational activity of the local community. Description of actions In the course of preparing the competition entry, the Team conducted a survey regarding the awareness of and interest in the subject of green infrastructure in the local community. The results were also carefully analysed. Most people have come across the concept of green infrastructure (mostly in public campaigns organized by municipalities or local governments), and believe that it has a significant impact on sustainable local development. Information activities were also carried out in the Suski District (Poviat) – primarily in schools, but also among residents and tourists. The area where green infrastructure was inventoried and mapped included primarily the south-eastern slopes and the summit area of the Polica Range. This was work was performed by employees of the Environment Division of the District (Poviat Starost) self-government Office in Sucha Beskidzka. The inventoried green infrastructure elements present within the area of the proposed project include first of all protected forest of high nature value, as well as, in valleys situated at lower altitudes, field margins, meadows and pastures, strips of trees, clusters of trees and bushes. Also mapped were mountain streams and the Mosorczyk waterfall (one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in the Beskidy). 162

The general condition of green infrastructure has been assessed as satisfactory. The mapped green infrastructure elements, located outside the areas with direct human interference, are natural, untransformed, and well integrated with the surrounding space. Negative phenomena associated with the abandonment of agriculture can also be observed, e.g. field margin are becoming less distinct. The following measures are planned under this initiative: ◆ supplementing markings (in the form of horned poles) on trails leading to the Polica Mountain’s summit; ◆ production of plaques informing about the Natura 2000 site to be placed by municipal and district roads and of plaques at the Polica summit; ◆ creation of small-scale infrastructure for better management of tourist flows: benches made of logs on the Śmietanowa Meadow and on the Polica’s summit and a shelter for tourists at the glade by the Brożki (adequate equipping of rest places at scenic viewpoints reduces the trampling of the surrounding area); ◆ setting up educational meetings for the local youth, inter alia, meetings regarding tree species in connection with nursery work within the forest plant nursery of the Zawojskie Association of Private Forest Owners, and also meetings at which the local master plans for the Zawoja Municipality and the Bystra Sidzina Municipality will be presented, with a special focus on the need to preserve ecological corridors.; The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Photo: Wim Claes, Getty Images (via Canva) 163

◆ purchase of devices for navigation for the purposes of cultivation of native trees; Partnerships The part of the initiative that deals with the Natura 2000 sites and the Klemensiewicz Nature Reserve was discussed with and preliminarily approved by the Regional Directorate for Envi- ronmental Protection in Cracow. Besides the formal membership of the Team, the project entails cooperation with the following entities: the Bystra Sidzina Municipality, the Private Forest Owners Association in Zawoja, and a company set up to manage the land and forest community of rightsholders in Zawoja. These partners are also holders of the land on which field operations would be conducted in respect of small-scale tourist infrastructure. Mosorczyk waterfall. Photo: Marek Mrugacz 164

The “Goleszów” Team This Competition Team was composed of the following non-governmental organisations: the Society of Cisownica Enthusiasts, the Górecki Nature Club and the “Africae Deserta Project” Poland-Morocco Cooperation Society, which worked together with representatives of the Goleszów Municipality Office. Theme The case study topic was the promotion of nature values of a hamlet forming part of the village of Cisownica, the Budzin scenic viewpoint, and the Tuł Mountain, through the development of tourist trails and educational and nature study paths, construction of small-scale infrastructure accompanying such trails and paths, and the creation of rest stops nested in Beskid greenery. Project rationale / status diagnosis According to the Team, the nature assets of the area covered by the project represent an Field maple growing on the slope of Tuł mountain. Photo: Tomasz Beczała 165

Budzin hamlet – view from Tuł mountain. Photo: Tomasz Beczała untapped educational potential. This area has been explored by naturalists since the 1850s, and its floristic richness is described in numerous publications. Patches of beech woods including white orchid sites, as well as calcareous tuffs found close to the Cisownica locality, deserve special recognition. These Natura 2000 habitats are located outside the formal network’s refuges but deserve protection. Unfortunately, there is little awareness among local residents as to how valuable this area is in terms of nature and landscape. This situation results in, among other things, the lack of recognition and acceptance for initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting the site as a biodiversity refuge. Making local residents aware of the potential, including economic potential, represented by the surrounding nature may contribute to the preservation of the area’s nature assets. The level of awareness of the local community is of crucial importance for the protection of regional nature, landscape and cultural richness. Project area The action plan concerned an area within the Goleszów municipality comprising a hamlet of the village of Cisownica, the Budzin scenic viewpoint, and the Tuł Mountain. The project encom- passes the following protected areas: a portion of the Beskid Śląski Landscape Park, a fragment of the “Beskid Śląski” Natura 2000 site and the “Zadni Gaj” nature reserve. 166

Objectives / expected results The main objective of the project is the raising of nature aware- ness among inhabitants of the Goleszów municipality and the development of sustainable tourism, based on ecosystem services. Description of actions The Team conducted a survey among municipality residents. Pale orchid (Orchis pallens). Photo:mat- The survey’s aim was to gather information about the attitudes kovci, Getty Images (via Canva) of inhabitants of this Carpathian region towards local green infrastructure. An information campaign was also carried out during the Midsummer Eve’s celebrations in the municipality of Goleszów. The mapping of green infrastructure elements in the project area was also performed. The objects entered in the database were supplemented by descriptions of natural habitats and protected species. A guidebook with ideas regarding sightseeing walks in the surrounding area and providing interesting facts about nature was also planned to be published under the case study. The guide would be available in institutions, such as the Municipality Office, the Library, the Tourist Information, or local schools. „Ton” lake in Goleszów. Photo: Anna Łęczyńska 167

. The “Jeleśnia” Team The competition team was composed of the Jeleśnia municipality and the Association – Local Action Group “Żywiecki Raj”. Theme The garden as a blue and green infrastructure element, good practices in rainwater manage- ment – green infrastructure as a link between humans and nature. Project rationale / status diagnosis The selected area is extremely attractive in terms of tourism, the landscape and nature. It is a riverside area surrounded by forests and mountains, characterized by high biodiversity (rich animal and plant life) and a very diverse landscape. Unfortunately, due to increasing urbanisation and a low level of awareness among residents Traditional sheep grazing in Beskidy Mountains. Source: Jeleśnia Commune archives 168

Picturesque fragments of Jeleśnia commune. Source: Jeleśnia Commune archives about the need for natural environment protection or the potential uses of ecosystem services, the area’s nature values are being degraded and tourist values are declining. What is more, Jeleśnia is faced with the problem of water shortages. Already at the present time many munic- ipality residents are affected by periodic water shortages. Yet, the issue of blue and green infrastructure is only very slowly penetrating the walls of local homes. Therefore, there is a need for a change in the local community’s approach to the environment, and especially to water, water management and the role of water ecosystems in promoting the concept of a sustainable municipality in the daily lives of its residents. Project area The project area is located within the boundaries of the municipality of Jeleśnia, in the vicinity of the Sopotnia River. Objectives / expected results This project is intended to increase public awareness of and local community commitment to environmental protection. Its objective is to encourage residents, social groups, communities, businesses and institutions to construct rainwater barriers in their surroundings. Another goal of the initiative is to demonstrate to the inhabitants how sound rainwater management may contribute to climate protection while improving the quality and comfort of their life and health at the same time. 169

Description of actions An information campaign was conducted at local events, such as the annual “Jeleśnia Days” picnic, and also at the locations where local community tends to meet: the Sylaba children’s day-care centre, the Jeleśnia Senior’s Club and in schools. Under the case study, a guidebook is to be created including instructions on how to construct a rain garden. Also planned are educational workshops during which each interested person will be able to see how to create such garden on their own. Waterfall on Sopotnia creek. Source: Jeleśnia Commune archives 170

The “Uście Gorlickie” Team This initiative was undertaken by the Uście Gorlickie Municipality Office, with support from representatives of the following non-governmental organisations: the Local Action Group “Beskid Gorlicki”, the “Rodzina” (Family) Social Integration Association, the Civitas Nostra Association and the “Hucuł” (Hutsul) Association. Theme The Competition Team decided to focus on actions related to the development of urban green areas, while also taking care of a boggy area within the Spa Park in Wysowa-Zdrój, and on the protection of biodiversity in this area. Project rationale / status diagnosis Nested in greenery, the Spa Park in Wysowa-Zdrój is a leisure and recreation site for residents, health resort patients, and tourists. The visitors are able to benefit from the municipality’s most precious assets: underground mineral water resources. During field trips and the mapping Low Beskid near Regietów Wyżny. Photo: Henryk Bielamowicz (CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, Wikimedia Commons) 171

of green infrastructure elements, it was found that there was a need to plant new trees, because there were only a few remaining tree stands left. This assess- ment also showed the need for improvement of the boggy area behind the Szumiak stream. The pump-room of mineral waters in Wysowa-Zdrój. Source: Uście Gorlickie Commune archives Project area This project concerned an area within the Uście Gorlickie municipality: the health resort (spa) park in Wysowa Zdrój, which is located within the South Małopolska Protected Landscape Area, in the vicinity of two Gorlicki District Bat Refuges and on the territory of Beskid Niski (Low Beskid) bird area of the Natura 2000 network. Objectives / expected results The project’s aim is to revitalize urban green areas and protect biodiversity in a Natura 2000 area. Its objective is to make the health resort park more attractive to visitors and provide the municipality with new green infrastructure elements. Description of actions During its field outing, the Competition Team performed an inventory of green infrastructure elements. In addition, as part of the information campaign, classes were held in seven primary schools in the municipality. These workshops dealt with green infrastructure-related issues. During the classes materials published on the platform of the “Carpathians Unite” educational project were used. Materials from the Carpathians Unite portal can be viewed on projectors at the mineral water pump room in Wysowa-Zdrój and at the Cultural Product Centre. Classes for young people were also held there. As part of the case study, plans were developed to improve sites in Wysowa-Zdrój’s health resort park behind the Szumiak stream, for tree and shrubbery plantings and boggy area development by creating a pond with vegetation typical for wetlands. 172

Wysowa-Zdrój - spa park. Source: Uście Gorlickie Commune archives Partnerships The following participated in the project: besides the entities making up the Competition Team, partnerships included primary school students and teachers and the village heads of 19 village councils in the municipality. Wysowa Spa company and the Municipal Cultural Centre’s employees and residents of the Wysowa-Zdrój village also lent their hand in information activities. The Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection and the Łosie Forest District were consulted on nature-related issues. St. Michael Archangel’s Eastern Orthodox church in Wysowa-Zdrój. Source: Uście Gorlickie Commune archives 173

III.3 The legal environment and strategic documents This chapter provides a short overview of selected legal acts and other strategic documents relating to the development of green and blue infrastructure. Their provisions, even if not directly applicable within the national context (for example, because a specific document is of an operational nature, and it is not a legal act in force), may be helpful when seeking funding for proposed initiatives, since they can substantiate the project’s importance and consistency with the European Union or national policies. THE EUROPEAN UNION BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY FOR 2030 As we can read on the website of the European Commission, “The EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a comprehensive, ambitious and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. This strategy aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery to 2030, and contains specific actions and commitments”. Adopted in May 2020, this strategy is one of the pillars of the Green Deal for Europe – a new EU growth strategy to achieve the Community’s climate neutrality by 2050, including through and by social and economic transformation that is “cost-effective, equitable and socially sustainable”. 174

Since – as already mentioned – elements of green infrastructure may be considered ecosys- tems or fragments of ecosystems, and also because the correct spatial arrangement of green infrastructure elements is essential to ensure the necessary ecological connectivity, measures enhancing green infrastructure contribute to the improvement in the condition of ecosystems and dovetail with the Strategy’s objectives. Specifically, direct references (i.e. actually using these terms) to green and blue infrastructure can be found in the following sections/points of the Strategy: 2.1. A coherent network of protected areas – which promotes and supports investments in green and blue infrastructure in the context of establishing and strengthening the network of ecological corridors as a necessary element of a coherent and resilient Trans-European Natura 2000 Network. 2.2.8. Greening of urban and peri-urban areas – which recommends that green infrastructure should be integrated into spatial planning, including the design of surroundings of buildings. THE EU STRATEGY ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE In 2013, the European Commission adopted the EU strategy on green infrastructure. That strategy was a key step towards the success of the UE 2020 Biodiversity Strategy (the predecessor of the current 2030 Strategy). Technically speaking, this document is called COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS. Green Infra- structure (GI) — Enhancing Europe’s Natural Capital / COM/2013/249. It provides a definition of green infrastructure and explains its importance as a crucial component of natural capital. It outlines in detail the functions and roles of green infrastructure in specific EU sectors and policies: regional policy, protection of the natural and cultural heritage which are “parts of the EU’s territorial capital and identity”, adaptation to climate change, disaster risk management, agriculture, water management, etc. For this reason, the document also contains specific recommendations for proper deployment of green infrastructure and for including green infrastructure considerations in the decision-making process and in policies, also in spatial planning. The Strategy was supplemented by the following “associated” documents: Technical information on Green Infrastructure (GI) – SWD(2013) 155 and the subsequent COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Guidance on a strategic framework for further supporting the deployment of EU-level green and blue infrastructure – SWD(2019) 193. Those documents developed and described in detail the contents of the underlying document, including the definitions and characteristics of particular elements of green infrastructure, benefits and functions, their incorporation in EU policies, data resources, examples of financial instruments and projects (case studies), etc.. 175

THE EU “BIRDS” AND “HABITATS” DIRECTIVES – EUROPEAN ECOLOGICAL NETWORK NATURA 2000 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (“Habitats” Directive). Official Journal of the European Union, L 206/7, 22.7.1992. The aim of that Directive is to maintain or restore, at favourable conservation status, natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest. DIRECTIVE 2009/147/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (amended consolidated version of the original Directive 79/409/EEC from April 1979, which by the way was the oldest EU legal act devoted to the natural environment). Official Journal of the European Union L20/7, 26.1.2010. The objective of that Directive is the conservation of all species of naturally occurring birds in the wild state in the European territory of the Member States. It covers the protection, management and control of these species, and applies not only to birds but also to their eggs, nests and habitats. Practical comments regarding the functioning of Natura 2000 sites in Poland are provided in chapter II.2.4 Nature protection. Green infrastructure, both within and outside (in-between) Natura 2000 sites, is hugely important for the functioning of that network as a cohesive whole. . EU POLICIES RELATING TO GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE In addition to the above-mentioned documents, there are numerous other international conventions and EU regulations or programmes that relate selectively and indirectly to green infrastructure and its functions pertaining to, for example, mitigation of adverse consequences of climate change, improvement in air quality, water management, limiting drought and flood risks, and other. Such documents include: ◆ COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUN- CIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe – COM(2011) 571 of 20 September 2011. A large part of that document concerns the protection and sustainable use of natural capital, ecosystem services and biodiversity, water, land and soils, etc. – that is, the issues strongly relating to green infrastructure; ◆ Water Framework Directive (WFD) – 2000/60 /EC. This is one of the most important legal regulations that define the key rules for Community actions in the field of water and waste- water management. The WFD entered into force in December 2000. The operating document pertaining to the implementation of that Directive is A Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources, published in 2012. The specific characteristics of the deployment of 176

blue infrastructure in the Carpathians are described in more detail in chapter II.2.3 Water management; ◆ Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – was launched in 1962. Its aims include, among others, objectives related to the shaping of green infrastructure, such as supporting sustainable management of natural resources and helping to tackle climate change, as well maintenance of rural areas and landscapes. Chapter II.2.1 of this publication deals with agriculture in the Carpathians, including measures aimed at strengthening green infrastructure on arable land, with the use of, inter alia, financial instruments under CAP; ◆ WHITE BOOK – Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action – COM(2009) 147. This document includes sections relating to the improved resilience to climate change in agriculture and forestry, and also the resilience of biodiversity (ecosys- tems), including waters. ◆ Urban Agenda for the EU – the document addresses the challenges faced by the cities. The Agenda was initiated under the Pact of Amsterdam (2016). The Agenda’s priority areas include also areas that depend on the condition of green infrastructure in the cities and the ecosystem services it provides; for example, air quality, adaptation to climate change, nature-based solutions. THE CARPATHIAN CONVENTION The Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention) is the world’s second (after the Alpine Convention) multilateral international agreement on a single mountain range/region, established under international law treaty rules. The Carpathian Convention was adopted in May 2003 and entered into force in January 2006. Poland ratified the Carpathian Convention in February 2006, and became bound by the Conven- tion in June 2006. Within Poland, the Convention applies to the area of 18 612.48 km2 (approx. 6% of the country’s land surface area), demarcated by the administrative boundaries of 200 municipalities located in the Małopolskie, Podkarpackie, and Śląskie Voivodships. The Parties to the Carpathian Convention include – besides Poland – six states of the Carpathian region: Czech Republic, Romania, Republic of Serbia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine, and Hungary. The purpose of the Carpathian Convention is the international cooperation and the pursuit by the States which are Parties to the Convention of a comprehensive policy to guarantee 177

protection and sustainable development of the Carpathian region, the improvement of the quality of life, the strengthening of local economies and communities, and the conservation of natural and landscape values and cultural heritage of the Carpathians.  The Carpathian Convention: ◆ concerns the equally important and closely connected issues of conservation and of sustainable development; ◆ provides the legal basis for the cooperation of the Carpathian states in order to guarantee protection of natural and landscape values of the Carpathians and the region’s cultural heritage; ◆ obligates the Parties to better coordinate their sectoral policies (for example, in the area of spatial planning, agriculture, transport, and tourism) affecting the protection of natural resources and the possibilities of sustainable regional and local development; ◆ allows for the development and pursuit of common strategies of sustainable development on a local and regional scale; ◆ provides a platform for cooperation and a forum for dialogue among inhabitants of the Carpathians, local governments, non-governmental organisations, scientific institutions and national Governments. An important element of the Convention’s implementation are so-called Protocols – docu- ments which (once ratified) have the status of legal acts in individual states and form part of the national law, which is directly applicable. In addition, the Convention is implemented by developing operational documents (which are not legally binding acts) of strategic nature, that is pertaining to all the States-Parties, and respective national action plans to implement specific protocols. To date, the following protocols have been ratified by Poland (and after their publication in the Polish Journal of Laws they entered into force): ◆ on Biodiversity (April 2010) ◆ on Sustainable Tourism (April 2013) ◆ on Sustainable Transport (April 2019) ◆ on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (January 2020). At the same time, Poland is the only State-Party to the Convention which has not ratified yet 178

the Protocol on Sustainable Forest Management. More information on the Carpathian Convention (in Polish) can be found on the website operated by the Centre UNEP/GRID-Warsaw within the Informatorium Karpackie portal. (www.informatoriumkarpackie.pl/eksperci/konwencja-karpacka). The main, English language Convention website can be browsed at www.carpathianconvention.org. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN POLAND The Act on the protection of nature of 16 April 2004 (Polish Journal of Laws 2004 No. 92 item 880) does not contain any direct references to either green infrastructure (this term does not appear in the Act) or ecological connectivity. This Act contains a general definition of ecological corridor (Article 5), and ecological corridors are also mentioned as part of the conservation measures in Natura 2000 sites (Article 29) and in Article 23 in the context of the definition of protected landscape. Paradoxically, the Act frequently emphasizes the role of spatial planning (which, as is well known, is an important instrument for deployment of green infrastructure – see chapter II.2.5)) in the context of nature and landscape protection. The current text includes also references to the landscape containing “formations and components of nature” or “civilisation elements shaped by the forces of nature”. The Act on spatial planning and development of 27 March 2003 (Polish Journal of Laws 2003 No. 80 item 717) – does not contain, either, any direct references to green infrastructure or ecological corridors. However, some indirect references can be found in its current text; namely that the protection of the environment, nature and landscape, which is closely linked to the proper shaping of green infrastructure, is, for example (Article 15), a mandatory component of the local master plan, while the approvals for greenery management and placing are an element of the local revitalisation plan adopted by municipality council (Article 37g). Likewise, there are no direct references to green infrastructure in following legislative acts: ◆ The Act amending certain acts in connection with the strengthening of landscape protection tools of 24 April 2015 (so-called Landscape Act – Polish Journal of Laws 2015 item 774), even though it recognizes “natural elements” (being de facto green infrastructure) of space, and also nature 179

values, as important elements of the landscape (including priority or cultural landscape), which should be subject to, for example, landscape audits. ◆ The Act on making available information about the environment and its protection, the participation of society in the environmental protection and environmental impact assessments of 3 October 2008 (consolidated text: Polish Journal of Laws 2021 item 247). However, this Act contains references to ecological corridors (in a definition adopted from the afore-mentioned Nature Protection Act) found within the significant impact zone of investment projects) that ensure connections between Natura 2000 sites. As these examples show, Polish legislation still lacks in practice the concept of green infra- structure sensu stricto. Another deficiency is that the issues relating to the designation of ecological corridors and the management of them in order to protect and strengthen ecological connectivity are insufficiently grounded in legal provisions. This makes the protection and proper shaping of green infrastructure undoubtedly more difficult. Fortunately, its individual elements can be shaped and protected under a number of other legislative acts and strategic documents, which apply frequently to specific sectors. Direct references to green infrastructure were made in, for example, the governmental Programme of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity along with Action Plan for 2015-2020, which was the Polish contribution to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was the first national document in which the term „green infrastructure” appeared, defined as a tool for maintaining and strengthening existing ecosystems and their services. The priority directions for actions outlined in the document included ”… progress in the area of so-called green infrastructure, which should be combined with the gradual sorting out of spatial planning issues…”, and one of the defined intervention directions (D.II) assumed „Implementation of the concept of green infrastructure as a tool to maintain and strengthen existing ecosystems and their services”. Concern about green infrastructure may be also found in regional and local strategies. The former include, for example, the development (or growth) strategies of the Carpathian provinces: the Śląskie, Małopolskie, and Podkarpackie voivodeships. Each of them has adopted a development strategy for 2030, which include chapters/sections devoted to the management of natural heritage resources, conservation of biological and landscape diversity. The “Małopolska 2030” Voivodship Development Strategy contains numerous and specific references to and recommendations regarding the protection and development of green and blue infrastructure in many contexts, for example: ◆ conservation of biological and landscape diversity (including mountain meadows and pastures through the pursuit of pastoral farming); ◆ ensuring connectivity between nature habitats; 180

◆ taking into consideration ecosystem services in spatial management; ◆ water management (“development of green and blue infrastructure as elements improving retention and air aerosanitary conditions and improving the quality of life”); ◆ renaturalisation of degraded areas and restoration of their nature-based functions; ◆ adapting to climate change (“comprehensive spatial planning system incorporating the growth of greenery and water infrastructure”).. The “Podkarpackie 2030” Voivodship Development Strategy includes provisions concerning: ◆ shaping green urban areas in line with the “Green City” concept, including a system of “green rings” combining urban ecological arrangements and open areas; ◆ improving the functionality of rural space by, inter alia, setting up green areas, including parks; ◆ maintenance of ecological corridors and protecting them against new land developments; ◆ conservation of landscape diversity and the functions of ecosystems; ◆ maintaining biodiversity of meadow and pasture areas of high nature value through extensive pastoral farming on them, as well as nature habitats dependent on waters; ◆ supporting the functioning of protected areas. The “Śląskie 2030” Voivodship Development Strategy includes provisions concerning: ◆ introduction of blue and green infrastructure, understood as nature-based solutions which are intended to mitigate and ensure adaptation to climate change both in the urban and rural areas; ◆ identification of high nature value areas as special SIAs (strategic intervention areas), including: ◆ preventing the loss of permeability of ecological corridors and strengthening their role in the voivodship’s nature system, including the implementation of measures safeguarding them against further degradation and weakening of their functionality; ◆ conservation of aquatic and wetland habitats, and other habitats, such as forests. 181

Euroregions An interesting form of transborder cooperation between regions of neighbouring states are Euroregions. The Polish section of the Carpathians includes fragments of four Euroregions: the Carpathians (the largest Euroregion encompassing fragments of as many as 5 states in total), the Tatras, the Beskids, and the Śląsk Cieszyński. The frameworks for their operation and cooperation within a given Euroregion are defined in the Euroregion’s development strategy, which provides for various aspects of sustainable development, including provisions dealing with natural and landscape heritage. Development strategies of municipalities The development strategies of individual municipalities are an important tool supporting planning and decision-making processes at the local level. These strategies should be consistent with the development strategy of the relevant voivodship – to ensure such consistency, the voivodship’s executive board must express an opinion about draft strategy of the municipality. Consequently, the above-mentioned recommendations and provisions concerning the shaping of green infrastructure and conservation of biological diversity found in the development strategies of the voivodships should – or even must – be incorporated into the local strategies, once they are made more specific and better related to the local conditions. Also documents regulating the operation of a group of municipalities such as, for example, statutes of a union of municipalities or a local action group (LAG) association, may include relevant provisions on a cohesive, coordinated approach to the conservation of nature and landscape diversity or the coherent shaping of green infrastructure within the area of associated municipalities.. 182

Photo: Krzysztof Haase III.4 Implementing bodies – partnerships In order to preserve and develop green and blue infrastructure in the Carpathians, local/ regional government authorities, as representatives of the region’s inhabitants, should engage in cooperation with public administration authorities (including authorities managing protected areas and the network of Natura 2000 refuges), state organisational units such as the State Forestry or State Water Management Authorities, and also with scientific institutions and scien- tific and research centres, as well as with any other actors promoting conservation of nature and landscape of the Carpathians, including those responsible for/supporting sustainable development in the region. Below is a short list of Polish institutions, agencies, and authorities. Readers from other Carpathian countries may seek to adapt the information below to their national specific legal and institutional frameworks. Local/Regional Government Authorities: ◆ Voivodship government authorities (regional / province-level self-governments) – their functions include defining the development strategy for the relevant voivodship as a distinc- tive region, to be implemented through voivodship programmes, with proper regard to, inter alia, the shaping and maintenance of spatial order, the cultivation of cultural and natural environment values, while also taking into account the needs of future generations, the need to preserve ecological corridors of superregional importance, to establish landscape parks and to designate protected landscape areas. Updating the ecophysiographic study should be an essential part of the preparation of a draft voivodship spatial development plan. The purpose of that study is to determine natural conditions, and evaluate them in terms of the opportunities they provide for spatial development, and to identify ecological corridors. 183

◆ Poviat self-government authorities (supra-regional, or district level) – their functions include the maintenance of spatial and ecological order, including in relation to building supervision, geodesy, cartography and cadastre, water management, protection of the environment, agriculture, forestry, and inland fishery. These authorities have a very impor- tant role to play in the efforts to support deployment of green and blue infrastructure by preventing the possible destruction of valuable species and nature habitats, and also of migratory corridors, and investigating potential adverse impacts on Natura 2000 sites in the framework of administrative procedures they carry out (building permits, water permits issued under the Water Law, adoption of simplified forest management plans, etc.). ◆ Municipality self-government authorities (local level) – their functions include the main- tenance of green vegetation, and safeguarding spatial and ecological order, including local spatial planning and management, the direction and manner of land management within the municipality and protection of the environment. In addition, these authorities have a very important role to play beyond the areas covered by the existing forms of nature protection, in the process of preparing such documents as studies of conditions and directions of spatial development and local master plans, by protecting ecological links beyond the existing forms of nature protection, through, for example, the conservation of permeability of ecological corridors, and also through deployment and support for green infrastructure. Representatives of municipality governments take an active consultative part in the drafting of conservation measures plans for Natura 2000 sites in the framework of Local Cooperation Teams, as representatives of their residents and as individuals with expertise about local social and economic conditions, and they can actually affect the green and blue infrastructure while conducting also those administrative procedures that do not precede the issuing of decisions on environmental conditions (preliminary planning decisions, decisions permitting removal of trees and bushes, etc.). Actions of regional/local government authorities will be crucial for the preservation of ecological corridors and deployment of green infrastructure, for example, at the stage of drafting new voivodship spatial development plans or municipality master plans, by providing for protection and/or restoration of valuable nature habitats, plant and animal species, and also for the preservation of cohesiveness of ecological networks. It would be beneficial for self-govern- ment authorities to become actively engaged in measures relating to the conservation and deployment of green and blue infrastructure, the promotion and support for activities which could bring benefits primarily to all their residents, such as measures adapting to the changing climate, while at the same time protecting local inhabitants against its consequences, such as local flooding a result of heavy rainfalls, expanding local water resources through conservation of wetlands, marshes and peatlands as part of drought prevention, securing landslide-prone areas, and countering the effects of water erosion. It is also vitally important that the regional/ local government authorities do their utmost to involve local residents in those activities and provide support to local initiatives seeking augmentation of ecosystem services. 184

The Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection in Katowice, Cracow and Rzeszów, the responsibilities of which include participation in the implementation of the environmental policy in the area of nature protection and investment process control. This includes partici- pation in strategic environmental impact assessments, issuing opinions on draft voivodship or municipality studies of conditions and directions of spatial development and local master plans, amendments made to the adopted documents, carrying out or participating in environmental impact assessments of projects which may have a significant impact on the environment. Other duties of a Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection include carrying out the tasks related to the protection and management of Natura 2000 sites, nature reserves and other forms of nature protection within a given voivodship, including coordinating the management of Natura 2000 sites, developing conservation measure plans for Natura 2000 sites, conservation plans for Natura 2000 sites and nature reserves, as well as authorizing derogations from the prohibitions in effect within nature reserves and derogations from the applicable prohibitions in relation to plants, mushrooms and animals under species protection and occurring in the wild state, approving draft municipality studies of conditions and directions of spatial development and also draft local master plans in their part dealing with a Natura 2000 site, nature reserve and its buffer zone, landscape park and its buffer zone or a protected landscape area, approving decisions on siting public interest investment projects and preliminary planning decisions for the above-mentioned areas, maintaining the register of nature protection forms, etc. Deployment of green infrastructure is particularly crucial in-between areas under protection, both in the form of belts of middle and high greenery, compact forest complexes, and ripar- ian habitats. Therefore, information on the identified and designated ecological corridors on a regional and local scale, and the data available at the Regional Directorates for Environ- mental Protection, should be used for this purpose. State Forests National Forest Holding / Regional Directorates of State Forests. The prin- cipal purpose of the State Forests is the implementation of forest management in line with, inter alia, the principles of protection of forests, their sustained maintenance, continuity and sustainable use of all forest functions, and expansion of forestry resources. This aim is to be achieved through consistently sustainable, multifunctional forest management, in accordance with the forest management plans that are developed for each forest district for a ten-year period, which set out the cultivation and conservation targets for individual forest fragments (tree stands) and the methods to achieve them. The State Forests are tasked with supervision of the forests owned by the State Treasury (excluding the national parks, the Agricultural Property Agency’s stock and forests held under perpetual usufruct), while implementing forest management and managing land and other properties or movable assets associated with forest management. In addition, the State Forests conduct ongoing monitoring of the condition of forests, update data on their area and raw wood resources. Forestry is one of the key elements of green infrastructure management and development. 185

Polish Waters National Water Holding / Regional Water Management Authorities. The Polish Waters is a state organisational unit responsible for country-wide water management, tasked with protecting the population against droughts and floods, sustainable management of waters, ensuring availability of water to the present and future generations. At all levels of the Polish Waters’ organisational structure there are three basic specialised divisions: the flood and drought protection division, the water services division, and the water environment management division. As regards the deployment of green and blue infrastructure, especially important are measures relating to, inter alia, cooperative arrangements for the monitoring of waters and in relation to the assessment of the condition of water bodies, conducting procedures leading to the issuance of water assessments under the Water Law, identification of ecosystems degraded as a result of exploitation of water resources and the planning of measures to restore them, handling matters related to the management of bodies of surface waters and bodies of underground waters, handling matters related to the issuing opinion on and implementation of planned measures to protect natural values of water environment, planning and analysing projects pertaining to the reconstruction of ecosystems degraded as a result of exploitation of water resources, as well as participating in the proceedings related to, inter alia, approvals of draft voivodship development strategies, studies of conditions and directions of spatial development, and voivodship spatial development plans and local master plans, preliminary planning decisions, decisions on siting public interest investment projects, decisions on the localisation of railway lines, with regard to house construction and land development at sites situated within special flood-related hazard zones, and the issuance of decisions exempting from the prohibitions in place within special flood-related hazard zones or mandating removal of trees or bushes in special flood-related hazard zones. The special importance of this state unit is due to the fact that it has an actual impact not only on the blue infrastructure in the Carpathians but on also the green infrastructure that accompanies the former on floodplains, or the programmes concerning not just small-scale retention but also water channel retention, which improves the water balance of a given area, by retaining water in watercourses, land drainage channels or ditches, or on blue and green infrastructure, but also on the countrywide “Stop drought” and “Stop flood” measures. National park authorities – the objectives of these managers of the protected areas afforded the highest level of nature protection in Poland include: conservation of biodiversity, including resources, formations and components of inanimate nature and landscape values, restoration to the adequate condition of nature resources and components, and recreation of distorted nature habitats, plant habitats, animal habitats or mushroom habitats, as well as maintaining ecological processes, ecosystems’ stability, continuous existence of species, and encouraging pro environmental attitudes. Green infrastructure performs as a special role for the most valuable protected areas in Poland, both as a buffer zone limiting human activity impacts on the national park territory and as an element of ecological corridors ensuring connections with other protected areas. 186

Landscape park authorities. Formally, landscape parks report to voivodship Marshalls and function within the Marshall Office’s structure. Their specific responsibilities include: carrying out inventories of nature habitats, localities of plants, animals and mushrooms under species protection, and habitats thereof, as well as of formations and components of inanimate nature requiring protection, identification and evaluation of existing and potential internal and exter- nal threats to the landscape park, and requesting measures to eliminate or mitigate such threats and their consequences, and also other measures with a view to improving the functioning and protection of the landscape park, collecting documentation on nature and historical, cultural and ethnographic values, carrying out tasks relating to the conservation of other forms of nature within the boundaries of the landscape park, providing information about nature protection regulations to visitors to the areas under protection and at locations where there are nature formations and components subject to specific forms of nature conservation, conducting nature education in schools and in local communities, and also promoting natural, historical, cultural and tourist values of the landscape park, cooperating with local government authorities, managers of land situated within the landscape park, environmentalists’ organisations, and other actors associated with the protection of the landscape park. Importance of landscape parks stems from the provisions regulating conservation of green infrastructure elements – the resolutions relating to individual landscape parks or the guidelines contained in the plans for the protection of landscape parks prohibit the removal mid-field, roadside and riparian vegetation; also important are educational activities being carried out. Scientific centres. Universities, research institutes (including Polish Academy of Sciences institutes) and other scientific centres (for example, scientific establishments under supervision of the ministries of the environment or agriculture) – are crucial for the development of green and blue infrastructure, since these institutions have extensive knowledge of natural habitats and species, and not only those afforded protection. An increasing number of scientific and research establishments become involved in the activities pertaining to the assessment and valuation of ecosystem services, and pursue research projects leading to practical applications enabling the deployment and fuller use of such services. All of the above-mentioned institutions, organizational units, organizations, etc. are committed to the implementation of the GIS standard for nature protection, corresponding to the thematic scope of Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE), including for protected areas. This facilitates and improves information flows of data and enables the planning and deployment of green and blue infrastructure. 187

III.5 Geoinformation tools and spatial data resources WHY GEOINFORMATION? Green and blue infrastructure is a “natural skeleton of space.” Therefore, deployment of green and blue infrastructure is an important element of spatial planning and shaping the spatial order. This involves diagnosing and analysing phenomena and processes, followed by the planning, delivery and monitoring of actions taking place in space. For this reason, having recourse to geoinformation tools and spatial date resources (spatial information, geoinformation) is extremely helpful, and even necessary nowadays. With easy access to digitized resources – or collections – of spatial data pertaining to, for example, the land and building registers, local master plans and modification requests for them, the study of conditions and directions of spatial development, linear infrastructure (road and railway line network), planned municipality investment projects, etc., such information may be cross-referenced and correlated with relevant thematic data on animate and inanimate nature (e.g. geological formations), hydrology, climate, soils, land cover types, landslides, forms of nature protection, the condition of ecosystems, and many others. This allows to carry out a whole range of cross-sectoral and multi-parameter analyses which should be taken into account in spatial planning-related decisions, including investment decisions, as well as in any other decisions that are relevant to sustainable development of the municipality. Geoinformation tools make it also possible to visualize, analyse and assess the consequences of proposed spatial development, including the effects of proposed investment projects and potential scenarios of their impact on the environment. Using these tools we can also monitor the status of development of an area, and spot potential environmental risks or threats earlier, and also plan and implement remedial measures (such as strengthening green infrastructure in the most sensitive sites). 188

All of this is of no small importance for optimising management of a specific area (e.g., a munic- ipality), thus avoiding unnecessary costs. There is also a huge potential in applying geoinformation in the public participation process, or including the public in the planning and decision-making with regard to the management of their surrounding space while making use of geoinformation technologies, such as map portals/geoportals or mobile mapping apps that interact with users. These technologies make it possible not only to visualise spatial data, by, for example, presenting to the residents the various options for the planned land use, ring road route, location of an important public inter- est project, urban transport network, park revitalisation, etc., but also allow them to provide “geo-comments” or even independently edit spatial data (suggesting their own solutions and incorporating them into the map). This is a very valuable form of communication between local authorities and residents. Digitizing such communication and “georeferencing” it (linking it to space or concrete location to which it relates) facilitates the analysis and summarizing the results of public consultations. 25° Ho Fig. 1. Hypsometric map of the Carpathians. Cartography: UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre 189

The quality of spatial planning digitisation has gradually improved over time. However, there is still much room for improvement, regrettably. Digitalisation of planning documents is still not common. In addition, only a portion of municipality (geo)information resources is based on more advanced GIS systems and using high quality vector data (SHP or CAD with added georeferencing features). Sometimes the costs of such utility software is a barrier, which can be overcome thanks to open software, for example QGIS. GEOINFORMATION TOOLS For people who do not intend to use GIS utility applications for complex transformations of spatial data, very useful geoinformation tools are various types of popular map applications such as OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Google Earth, Mapy.cz, and others. More extensive and comprehensive capabilities are offered by geoportals, or portals whose map sections not only provide much richer underlying (referencing) and thematic content, but are also frequently equipped with rich functionality, allowing the user to configure the displayed content by selecting the relevant thematic layers of spatial data from many fields, which can be turned on or off in any combination. An example of this is the Polish National Geoportal (geoportal.gov. pl) administered by the Main Office for Geodesy and Cartography, and also Geoserwis operated by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection (geoserwis.gdos.gov.pl), which is to large extent devoted to issues pertaining to the protection of nature and of the environment. Also the LIFE Project, under which this guide has been produced, has a geoportal on its website (http://en.zielonainfrastruktura.karpatylacza.pl), supporting visualizations of data relevant to deployment of green infrastructure, including the results of the GIS-based diagnosis of conditions for shaping green infrastructure and ecological connectivity in the Carpathians, carried out in the framework of this Project (and described in chapter II.1.1). SPATIAL DATA Quite obviously, any geoinformation tools require good quality spatial data. The availability, resolution and reliability (correctness, timeliness) of data is essential to the success of any analysis. This is frequently the “bottleneck,” since in many cases the data are dispersed among many repositories (collections), fragmented, presented in an incorrect scale (of accuracy) or outdated. Help comes from the EU Directive INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe), which entered into force in 2007. Its aim is to construct and maintain a European infrastructure for spatial information in order to assure access to spatial data to all users in the Member States. That Directive was transposed into Polish law by the Act on Spatial Information Infrastructure of 4 March 2010 (Polish Journal of Laws of 2010 No. 76 item 489), which regulates the issues pertaining to efforts to construct and develop spatial information infrastructure in Poland. The crucial tasks in this respect include the development and implementation of uniform standards for spatial data collection, organisation, processing and sharing, and also for maintaining meta-databases, or “data on data” (information on sources/collections of spatial data, together with their characteristics, access rules, etc.), which help to navigate through the ever-expanding sea of information. 190

From the point of view of data users, easy access and confidence in the quality of data are impor- tant. Currently, a lot of data are made available over the Internet directly by state institutions, reputable research centres, etc., which are responsible for the creation and maintenance of individual resources, that is, the institutions which collect, store, and, importantly, update the data. The most important web services recognized by the Directive INSPIRE and the Polish Act on Spatial Information Infrastructure are the searching, viewing, downloading, and process- ing services. The viewing services are provided primarily based on the WMS standard (Web Map Services) and the great majority of geoportals support data viewing (displaying, visualizing) on the basis of precisely that standard. However, for the potential of available data to be fully realised, the download service must be implemented. The download service for vector data is based on the WFS standard (Web Features Services), while the WCS standard (Web Coverage Service) is used for the download service for raster data. REMOTE SENSING Remote sensing is a method of acquiring data about objects, phenomena and processes occurring in space without the observer (devices acquiring and registering data) making direct, physical contact with them. Its most important advantage is the ability to obtain current imagery of large fragments of Earth’s surface, with significant repeatability. Also very impor- tant is the ability to perform time series analyses (a sequence of images collected at specific intervals). Because of these benefits, remote sensing is a perfect tool for examining changes in various parameters – for example, in land cover – by analysing differences between two images of the same area, captured at different points in time. This makes it possible to discover both distinctive, qualitative changes in land cover (e.g. the building up of an area used for agricultural purposes, deforestation in preparation of constructing infrastructure), and those that are more subtle, of quantitative nature (e.g. a change in soil humidity, deterioration in the health status of tree stands). The acquired images may also be used to verify and update existing cartographic products (traditional maps or layers in topographical databases), by analysing changes that have occurred in situ from the time of their creation or publication. Remote sensing entails acquisition of data both by aircraft (including unmanned) and satellites. Among the satellites observing Earth surface at high resolutions, two missions, Landsat and Sentinel, feature prominently. Landsat is a mission conducted since the 1970s by the NASA. At present, orbiting the Earth are satellites numbered 7 (launched in 1999), 8 (2013) and the newest Lansat 9 satellite, which was launched into orbit at the end of September 2021. Sentinel is the umbrella name for an entire fleet of Earth observation satellites, which are run by the European Space Agency (ESA), of which Poland is a member. The Sentinel satellites play a crucial role in the European earth observation programme COPERNICUS (http://www.copernicus.eu). Landsat satellite data, both current and archival, can be accessed free of charge (downloading is possible only after creating an account). One website where such data can be searched and downloaded is EarthExplorer (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov). 191

Satellite data from Sentinel-2 can be accessed free of charge (downloading is possible only after creating an account) through the Copernicus Open Access Hub website (https://scihub. copernicus.eu). Satellite data collected by the Landsat or Sentinel-2 satellite may be used to create up-to-date, precise land cover maps, which differentiate, for example, between built-up areas, agricultural areas, natural and semi-natural vegetation, bodies of water. Thus, they are hugely relevant when an area is assessed in terms of the presence of green infrastructure elements and their spatial arrangement, and also support analysis of selected nature parameters, thus allowing us to examine green infrastructure not only from the quantitative but also qualitative perspective. Furthermore, satellite data could be useful in other, special applications, such as assessments of the consequences of natural disasters, for example those affecting forests as a result of fierce winds, wildfires or mass occurrences of tree pests, as well as the effects of droughts, floods, etc. Since the processing and interpretation of satellite data is best left to experts, it is more convenient in practice to use finished derived products, or thematic data developed on the basis of satellite data according to tested, proven algorithms. Data of this kind are in most cases available free of charge. One of the best-known derivate products are European Corine Land Cover data, created since the 1990s and available under the COPERNICUS Programme. They show the land cover map for the territory of the European Union (along with some neigh- 192

bouring countries). Unfortunately, they are spatially generalized, hence they should not be used for local scale analysis (for areas smaller than a voivodship). Since the fifth edition of the map (2018) was prepared recently, comparisons with earlier editions of 1990, 2000, 2006, and 2012 allow to examine changes in land cover that have been occurring during the most recent decades in Europe. Satellite data (both satellite and aeronautical data) can also be accessed through specialised geoportals and map websites (for example, GoogleEarth or Geoportal.gov.pl, which have already been mentioned). Frequently, such data can be accessed directly in desk-top applica- tions using the data viewing and downloading services or dedicated plugins (for example, in the afore-mentioned QGIS application). In many cases these are high resolution data. Under the COPERNICUS programme, several High Resolution Layers (HRL) developed in 2012 can be used (downloading is possible only after creating an account). These data represent forest areas, waters, impermeable areas, grasslands, wetlands (http://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/ high-resolution-layers) – therefore they can be very useful for analysing green infrastructure in a local scale. However, one fly in the ointment can be the timeliness of image data. This is due to both the timetables of satellite operations and the limitations in the “supply” of current images of a given area, but also the timeframes for updating the platforms on which such data (images) are displayed. In addition, there can be restrictions in the use of remote sensing data, imposed by law or the regulations of mapping portals where such data originate. EXAMPLES OF COLLECTIONS USED IN SPATIAL ANALYSES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE Chapter II.1.1 of this publication provides a description of the analysis of the conditions for green infrastructure deployment in the Polish portion of the Carpathians, which was carried out under this Project, including information about the data resources that were used. The table below provides a short summary of these collections used in respect of the selected areas. Data resource Data sharing institution Spatial scope of data the Carpathians State Register of Borders Head Office for Geodesy the Carpathians and Cartography the Carpathians Topographic Objects Database Head Office for Geodesy the Carpathians (BDOT 10k) and Cartography Numerical Terrain Model 100m Head Office for Geodesy (NMT) and Cartography Ecosystem type database UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre 193

Corine Land Cover (CLC) Chief Inspectorate of Environmental the Carpathians Protection Natura 2000 sites database with Natura 2000 sites located associated site documentation Regional Directorates for Environmen- within the Carpathians, for (management plans) tal Protection in Katowice, Cracow and which the management plan Rzeszów was prepared Boundaries of area forms of nature protection General Directorate for Environmental the Carpathians Protection National ecological corridors General Directorate for Environmental within the Carpathians Protection (source of data: Mammal Biology Institute of the Polish Acade- my of Sciences in Białowieża) Regional Directorate for Environmen- Regional ecological corridors tal Protection in Cracow in Małopolskie voivodship Ecological corridors Regional ecological corridors in Śląskie voivodship Upper Silesia Nature Heritage Centre Regional Directorate for Environmen- Regional ecological corridors tal Protection w Rzeszów (data source: in Podkarpackie voivodship “Pro Carpathia” Association for Podkar- pacie Development and Promotion) High resolution layers (HRL) – fore- General Directorate of State Forests Forest Districts: Katowice, sts and impermeable surface areas Krosno, Cracow Polish Waters National Water Holding the Carpathians Dokumenty planistyczne sporzą- Municipalities located with the scope 200 Carpathian municipalities dzane na poziomie gminnym of application of the Carpathian Co- the Carpathians nvention Warstwy wysokorozdzielcze (HRL) – lasy i powierzchnie nieprzepusz- Geodesy and Cartography Institute czalne As mentioned in chapter II.1.1, the results of the analysis of the conditions for deploying green infrastructure in the Carpathians with the use of those data, which was carried out under our LIFE Project, can be viewed on the geoportal of the LIFE Project (one product of which was this publication). In addition, selected spatial data were prepared and made available, as SHP files, to Carpathian municipalities free of charge and for use by the general public. Further details about those data (in Polish), and the link for downloading them, can be found on the project’s website www.zielonainfrastruktura.karpatylacza.pl, under the news item entitled Dane przestrzenne dla kształtowania zielonej infrastruktury w gminie (Spatial data for the shaping of green infrastructure in the municipality). 194

The text of this chapter was prepared using the information from and fragments of the publica- tion entitled Geoinformacja zmienia nasz świat (Geoinformation changes our world), published in 2018 in the framework of cooperation between the UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre and Head Office for Geodesy and Cartography, available at: www.gridw.pl/publikacje/1748-geoinformac- ja-zmienia-nasz-swiat (access in November 2021). 195

About the project 196

About the project This guide was created as one of the main results of the project entitled: Green-Go! Local initiatives for deployment of green infrastructure in Natura 2000 sites in the Carpathians (LIFE16 GIE/PL/000648) This project is one of the Carpathian projects carried out by the UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre (in the structure of the National Foundation for Environmental Protection) under the name and in accordance with the idea of “the Carpathians Unite”(www.karpatylacza.pl). Period of implementation September 2017 – December 2021 Area of implementation Polish part of the Carpathians: 200 municipalities within the scope of application of the Carpathian Convention. Project value EUR 541,104 Co-financing European Commission - LIFE Programme National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management 197

Objectives of the project 1. Supporting the cooperation of local stakeholders: primarily local governments, their asso- ciations (local action groups – LAGs) and unions, nature protection institutions, non-gov- ernmental organizations and local communities – for the proper management of space and shaping green infrastructure in the Polish part of the Carpathians. 2. Sharing knowledge on the role and importance of green infrastructure in the context of biodiversity protection and sustainable local development. 3. Promoting the use of spatial data resources and geoinformation tools in spatial management on the areas of natural value. 4. Dissemination of good practices in space management and shaping green infrastructure on an international scale, amongst other countries of the Carpathian region – Parties to the Carpathian Convention (the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary). Main activities and results of the project 1. Analysis of the conditions for shaping green and blue infrastructure in the Polish part of the Carpathians; seminars for representatives of nature conservation institutions. 2. A series of trainings for representatives of local governments and organizations of the Carpathian municipalities. Subject: a) the role and importance of green infrastructure for the protection of biodiversity and landscape and for the local development of the Carpathian region; b) legal and administrative conditions for the development of green infrastructure; c) use of spatial data resources and geoinformation tools in space management and social communication. 3. Local case studies related to the shaping of green infrastructure as good practices Competition for the development of case studies and action plans for the development of green infrastructure, including: 198