Integration of Conservation Strategies of Plant Genetic ... - Genres

enormous variety of forms, the evolutionary diversification of the above mentioned plant groups,
and fragmentary and in complete knowledge of those plants in some areas, one ran presume that
some of these species either have not survived or will became extinct before they are identified
and classified (Zarzycki et al., 1992).
National parks and nature reserves, particularly biosphere reserves, are the best means of ensuring
genetic diversity and preserving ecological processes and systems which are the basis of life.
In Poland, national parks are created in sufficiently large areas meet the criteria defined by General
Assembly of the International Union of Nature Preservation (New Delhi, 1969 and Banff, 1972),
on the basis of Council of Ministers regulations. To date, there have been founded 19 national
parks of 243.679 ha, which makes 0.78% of Poland's total area. The smallest is the Ojcow
National Park of 1.595 ha and the largest is Biebrza National Park of 59.223 ha. The Polish
national parks represent main geographical regions. However, most of them are situated in the
southern mountainous part of Poland, characterized by nature and landscape of great value. The
statutory tasks of the parks are carried out through full or partial protection. Full protection
covers, on the average, 24% of the parks acreage. The percentage differs for individual parks,
from 2% in the Wielkopolska NP to 97% in the Bialowieza NP, which makes the latter one of the
most precious protected area of our continent (Sokolowski et al., 1993). Outstanding in its
primeval forest nature and abundance of flora and fauna, the Bialowieza NP has been defined as
part of the World's Natural Heritage within the framework of the Convention on Protection of
World Natural and Cultural Heritage (Okolow, 1993).
317 plant communities (including 20 endemic) have been given protection in the national parks.
In the parks flora there occur numerous endemic species, among others Erysimum wahlenbergii,
Cochlearia tatrae, Poa nobilis, some species of the Alchemilla genus from Tatra Mts, Saxifraga
moschata subsp. basaltica, Campanula corcontica (Karkonosze), Alchemilla babiogorensis (The
Babia Gora NP), Taraxacum pieninicum, Erysimum pieninicum (The Pieniny NP). Besides in the
national parks 180 plant species grow under legal protection, among them 155 species under full
protection by law (Denisiuk, 1992).
Biosphere reserves, being areas not bounded by regional and state boundaries, have special
position in the conservation of the natural environment. Their aim is to preserve the variety of
plants and animals in theirs natural ecosystems, to protect genetic diversity of species, and to
provide the field for ecological and environmental research, of which the results will have crucial
importance as points of reference in the case long-term changes of the whole biosphere.
Because of their international significance, biosphere reserves are approved by UNESCO. Among
the seven reserves in existence in Poland only Lake Luknajno is not a national park. The biosphere
reserves covering The Babia Gora NP, the Bialowieza NP, The Slovian NP and Lake Luknajno
have been created in order to protect unique, endangered natural heritage. Each of them is an
example of incomparable specific ecosystem or landscape. In 1992 a resolution of the Bureau of
International Coordinative Council of the Man and Biosphere Project called into being three
bilateral biosphere reserves in the area between the Polish and Ukrainian, and the Slovak and
Czech borders - the East Carpathians (which is soon to become the first three-state International
Biosphere Reserve), the Tatry and the Karkonosze, On the Polish side, the first reserve includes
the Bieszczady NP and two scenic parks: the Cisna-Wetlina SP and the San River Valley SP. The
second reserve includes the Tatry NP, and the third reserve - the Karkonosze NP. The plans
include to enlagre the biosphere reserve network by the Biebrza River Valley, the Wigry NPN,