Mariusz Kulik , Danuta Urban , Grzegorz Grzywaczewski , Andrzej Bochniak , Antoni Grzywna , Joanna Sender
{"title":"Half a century of wetland degradation: the present state and trends of changes in Western Polesie - Long-term wetland degradation","authors":"Mariusz Kulik , Danuta Urban , Grzegorz Grzywaczewski , Andrzej Bochniak , Antoni Grzywna , Joanna Sender","doi":"10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03324","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study analysed three wetlands located in eastern Poland which have been subjected to varying levels of anthropogenic pressure, and conservation measures over the years (Bagno Bubnów, Krowie Bagno and Ostoja Poleska). They are the remnants of the primaeval wetlands, of Western Polesie. The objectives of this study were to: analyse the long-term changes in the frequency of occurrence of plant communities and rare plant and bird species from 1950 to 1970 (before protective measures were implemented) to 2000–2020 (when protection was in place); assess the changes of the climatic and edaphic habitat conditions during the half-century of transformation processes, using ecological indicators; and indicate the least and most transformed among the analysed areas. The wetlands of western Polesie constitute a sanctuary of great habitat and species diversity. The degree of deformation and the forms of protective activities significantly influenced the biodiversity of the analysed sites. The greatest changes in the occurrence of the plant communities and rare plant species during the half-century took place in Krowie Bagno, while the smallest in Bagno Bubnów. In all areas, the fertility of habitats increased and their humidity decreased. The downward trend is most pronounced in the declining bird populations observed across the studied areas. Strong anthropopressure (drainage) and late protection (Krowie Bagno) contributed to lower biodiversity. Our results confirm that low anthropogenic pressure and early protective measures mean an increase in the diversity of plant species and communities. Preserving the biodiversity of these naturally priceless areas is the priority. The results show that the necessary condition is to stop water loss from these areas. The observed trends in plant communities and rare plant species indicate a high threat to the least transformed wetlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54264,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Conservation","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article e03324"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Global Ecology and Conservation","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005286","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The study analysed three wetlands located in eastern Poland which have been subjected to varying levels of anthropogenic pressure, and conservation measures over the years (Bagno Bubnów, Krowie Bagno and Ostoja Poleska). They are the remnants of the primaeval wetlands, of Western Polesie. The objectives of this study were to: analyse the long-term changes in the frequency of occurrence of plant communities and rare plant and bird species from 1950 to 1970 (before protective measures were implemented) to 2000–2020 (when protection was in place); assess the changes of the climatic and edaphic habitat conditions during the half-century of transformation processes, using ecological indicators; and indicate the least and most transformed among the analysed areas. The wetlands of western Polesie constitute a sanctuary of great habitat and species diversity. The degree of deformation and the forms of protective activities significantly influenced the biodiversity of the analysed sites. The greatest changes in the occurrence of the plant communities and rare plant species during the half-century took place in Krowie Bagno, while the smallest in Bagno Bubnów. In all areas, the fertility of habitats increased and their humidity decreased. The downward trend is most pronounced in the declining bird populations observed across the studied areas. Strong anthropopressure (drainage) and late protection (Krowie Bagno) contributed to lower biodiversity. Our results confirm that low anthropogenic pressure and early protective measures mean an increase in the diversity of plant species and communities. Preserving the biodiversity of these naturally priceless areas is the priority. The results show that the necessary condition is to stop water loss from these areas. The observed trends in plant communities and rare plant species indicate a high threat to the least transformed wetlands.
期刊介绍:
Global Ecology and Conservation is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering all sub-disciplines of ecological and conservation science: from theory to practice, from molecules to ecosystems, from regional to global. The fields covered include: organismal, population, community, and ecosystem ecology; physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology; and conservation science.