When mines near the town of Stary Sącz, in Poland’s Małopolskie region shut down in the 1990s, they left behind gravel pits that had a lasting impact on two rivers. With the help of EU funding, local authorities restored the area and transformed a section of it into a nature reserve designed to be enjoyed by all.
- 04 February 2020
The project protects nature and makes it available to tourists and residents. Together with a guarded bathing beach nearby, a rope park, fishing spots, volleyball courts and bicycle routes, it is of great importance for regional tourism and is a natural place of recreation for the residents of the Stary Sacz Commune.
The ‘Bobrowisko’ Nature Enclave includes 400 m of new paths that cross the flood plains at the fork of the Dunajec and Poprad rivers. The pathways avoid the most biologically diverse areas, to conserve the natural environments, but include observation points along the route, allowing nature lovers to take in the unique wildlife and flora.
A diverse habitat
The gravel mines near Stary Sącz were shut down over quarter of a century ago. Since then, the area has been abandoned. A number floods on the Dunajec and Poprad rivers in the years since caused the empty mine pits to fill with water, creating a network of lakes and ponds. Nature soon reclaimed the area. Bobrowisko means ‘beaver field’ in Polish, yet the habitat is not only home to European beavers. There are mute swans and a diverse array of insects and amphibians. The surrounding forests of willow and ash-elm are rich with flora.
An analysis of resources within the local community by the Landscape Parks Management of Lesser Poland Voivodeship found there was a shortage of nature conservation or education about the environment. To better promote the habitat at Bobrowisko and educate people on how society and the European Union can help conserve nature, information boards were installed around the nature reserve and leaflets were distributed.
Local nature, accessible to all
A mobile application available on Google Play encourages locals and tourists to enjoy the area using maps and an audio guide for visually impaired people. The reserve’s pathways and observation points have been adapted to the needs of people with learning disabilities as well as physical impairments so that everyone can explore the area. The buildings are constructed from wood and the modern architecture was designed so that it would not negatively impact the natural surroundings.
The area around the nature reserve is devoted to leisure and recreation and includes a rope park, playgrounds, fishing spots and volleyball courts.This unique attraction has incentivised tourists and local residents to visit, boosting the income of local entrepreneurs. A sensor automatically counts the volume of people onsite. A total of 1 800 visitors came to the nature reserve from 1-6 June 2019.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “The "Bobrowisko" Nature Enclave” is EUR 366 060, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 307 743 through the “ROP 6 Małopolskie Voivodeship” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Environment protection and resource efficiency”.