Warta Mouth National Park without hunters. A buffer zone to protect birds is being created

The Ministry of Climate and Environment has announced a plan to establish a buffer zone that will halt controversial bird hunting right next to the borders of Warta Mouth National Park. The issue has been stirring public outrage for quite some time, but so far hunters have remained unpunished.

Relentless safari in wetlands

Photos released by the ministry clearly show that the proximity of the national park does not intimidate hunters. As recently as December 2025, hunting enthusiasts with guns slung over their shoulders were walking in the buffer zone of Warta Mouth National Park. Earlier photographs document the use of illegal sound lures attracting birds as well as the presence of hunters lying in wait in the immediate vicinity of the park’s headquarters.

For years, reports have described wealthy hunters traveling to the Warta River from across Europe to indulge in shooting birds. They are assisted by tourism companies that flush out and lure birds to make them easier targets.

The practice does not take place within the National Park itself, but exploits its proximity to guarantee clients the best possible hunting conditions. Hunters literally lie in wait at the borders of the refuge, waiting for birds unaware of the danger to cross its boundaries. Injured individuals sometimes manage to return to safe areas, but still die there in agony. Unfortunately, due to mistakes or lack of knowledge among hunters, protected species are often killed, such as mute swans or the rare ferruginous duck.

An end to shooting valuable species

According to Gazeta Lubuska, the authorities of Warta Mouth National Park had already attempted two years ago to agree on a hunting ban with local hunting clubs, without success. The Ministry of Climate and Environment then took up the matter, initially planning to expand the park’s buffer zone. However, members of the Słubice county council and the Lubusz Chamber of Agriculture opposed this solution, arguing that enlarging protected areas would lead to crop damage caused by game animals and wild birds. The municipality of Witnica also raised objections, citing arguments such as the loss of revenue from leasing hunting districts and a reduction in the local government budget.

The ministry’s latest solution therefore does not expand the buffer zone, but instead establishes a protective belt over roughly half of its area, where shooting birds will be prohibited.

We will limit hunting in the immediate vicinity of the Park’s borders, creating a safe space for birds while eliminating one of the key threats identified for the Natura 2000 Warta Mouth area, announced Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Mikołaj Dorożała.

The protective belt is to be approximately 1.5 km wide and will take into account the location of specific habitats. The ministry assures that areas have been selected where the risk of agricultural damage is minimal.

Warta Mouth National Park is an ornithological paradise

The very idea of establishing a national park at the mouth of the Warta River was linked to the desire to protect the enormous diversity of birds that breed here or stop during long migrations. In total, 280 species have been recorded, with water and wetland birds forming the largest group, including numerous ducks, geese, and grebes.

In spring, lekking displays of ruffs take place on the floodplains, and attentive birdwatchers may also spot several species of herons, redshanks, and even the nationally threatened Eurasian curlew. In summer, the wetlands provide shelter for moulting cranes, swans, and coots, while black storks gather in the area in their dozens at communal assemblies. In autumn, as many as 100,000–200,000 geese appear in Warta Mouth National Park, and this remarkable concentration of birds attracts majestic white-tailed eagles. Even in winter the area is not empty, as the park becomes a refuge for whooper swans arriving from the far north.