important plant areas in central and eastern europe - hirc.botanic.hr ...

Section 5Recommendations■ Further development of the nationalIPA network, as information on new sitesbecomes available (80-100 more sites areexpected to be added).■ More extensive inclusion of sporeplants and fungi into the network.■ Larger scale application of Criterion Bin identification of future sites.The quality of data and especially the long-term trend information varies considerablyfrom site to site.The best information comes from sites that have been extensivelystudied by the scientific community, such as national parks and a few nature reserves, orthose sites with rare or interesting species. However, since the introduction of severalmonitoring schemes such as Ramsar, NATURA 2000, and red list projects, data flow hasnotably increased and the IPA programme will also be able to contribute to improvingtrend assessments and monitoring possibilities.Key threats to IPAs in Poland■ Establishing a monitoring programmefor IPAs already identified.■ “Lobbying” for inclusion of IPAs thatare not otherwise protected into someformal network of protected areas; iffeasible, also promotion of increasedprotection for sites with low levels ofprotection.No. ofIPAs■ Actions towards securing permanentfinancial support from the Ministry ofEnvironment (or other sources), toguarantee the existence and developmentof the national IPA network.■ Integration of the nationally identifiedIPAs into pan-European networks ofprotected areas.Tourist and recreation development is the single most widespread threat to IPAs inPoland (68 IPAs). Inappropriate forestry practices affect 56% of IPAs (intensifiedforest management (IFM) 53, deforestation 27, afforestation 25). Infrastructure andtransport development is also one of the most significant threats (56 IPAs), as well asurban development (45 IPAs) and industrial development (38 IPAs). Inappropriatewater management systems, including drainage, extraction, and canalisation, affect 49IPAs, and eutrophication affects 28 IPAs. Burning of vegetation and aquaculture andfisheries also threaten IPAs in Poland.50