Wpływ zasobów środowiskowych na rozwój gospodarczy obszarów wiejskich na przykładzie Gminy Stare Miasto

Abstract

The overall economic situation in rural areas is considered to be very difficult today. In urban regions, except for provincial capitals and district towns, there are insufficient incentives stimulating rural development. Due to unfavourable conditions for developing business, conducting investment projects and the dominance of agriculture in the overall economy, rural areas are not considered attractive for living and developing entrepreneurship. It can be therefore concluded that rural areas are characterized by a lack of harmony between economic, environmental and social dimensions of developmental processes. This publication shows that an appropriate use of environmental resources in rural areas may be beneficial for their economic development. A good example of this phenomenon is the Stare Miasto municipality in Poland, where the presence of two motorway nodes significantly affects the economy of this region. The main objective of this publication is to recognize the effects of the use of environmental resources available in rural areas on their economic development using the example of a particular rural municipality. The main hypothesis set forth in this publication is that the use of environmental resources has a positive effect on the economic development of rural areas in the Stare Miasto municipality. The research process consists of the following stages: reviewing Polish and international literature and various magazines; developing the main objective and hypotheses; analysing the development strategy for the Stare Miasto municipality between 2015 and 2025; assessing opportunities and threats related to the economic use of natural resources; and presenting conclusions drawn from the considerations.