Wetland Conservation Strategy in Poland – take part in the consultations

This year’s World Wetlands Day has become an opportunity to launch public consultations on one of the most important environmental documents of recent years. The Wetland Conservation Strategy in Poland sets priorities for the management of water-dependent ecosystems for the next decade. It is worth sharing your opinion on this matter.

Wetlands in the leading role

Published on 2 February this year by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection, the draft Wetland Conservation Strategy in Poland, together with the action plan, is a response to the obligations arising from Poland’s adoption of the Ramsar Convention. The document is the result of work by the Wetlands Conservation Centre and consultations conducted within individual ministries.

The importance of the strategy is highlighted by the figures cited in the introduction: according to various sources, natural and transformed wetlands cover 14-18 percent of the country’s area. This includes not only peatlands overgrown with mosses, reed beds, bog pine forests or alder carrs, but also river floodplains, silt deposits, springs, marshes, salt marshes, cliffs, spits, karst caves, rivers, lakes, artificial reservoirs and even coastal marine waters.

Why do we need this strategy? As a planning document, it is addressed to the Government of the Republic of Poland, sectoral policy makers, public administration employees and all entities whose activities may affect the condition of wetlands. In short, it is about long-term, non-political frameworks that will ensure the good condition of water-related and water-dependent ecosystems.

Wetland Conservation Strategy: action plan

Part of the document is a diagnosis of pressures and threats to wetlands in Poland. These include primarily the drainage of peatlands, mainly for agricultural purposes, inadequate protection, overgrowth by trees and shrubs, and eutrophication. Among the most serious problems are also river channel regulation and dams in river courses, water deficits in rivers and lakes, and the development of buildings along the banks of watercourses and the marine coastline.

The wetland conservation strategy sets three goals for national decision-makers:
• improvement of the biodiversity status of peatlands and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands by 30 percent;
• improvement of biodiversity and support for natural processes in aquatic ecosystems, as well as increased water retention in riparian areas;
• maintenance and strengthening of wetland protection within the Ramsar site network in Poland.

Among the actions intended to support the implementation of these priorities are, among others, the purchase of land for the benefit of the State Treasury, the State Forests or national parks, the cessation of peat extraction, the introduction of a certification system for goods and services in terms of peat content, and incentives for the implementation of paludiculture, known as wetland agriculture. In addition, plans include, among others, river renaturation and the restoration of floodplains, changes to regulations on water maintenance, as well as the immediate protection of highly endangered areas, including the Rospuda Valley, the Wdzydze Lakes, the Baltic Peatlands, the Slupia Valley and the Krutynia River Basin.

How to take part in the consultations?

The full text of the draft wetland conservation strategy can be found on the website of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection. The same page also provides a form for submitting comments, which, once completed, should be sent to the indicated email address by 23 February 2026.

Why does it matter? Poles often and readily complain about what is happening in the country. Public consultations make it possible to turn complaints into constructive criticism, rational suggestions or innovative ideas. If wetlands are particularly close to your heart, if you are interested in regional development or if you want to support the protection of water-dependent ecosystems, take this opportunity and send your opinion to the authors of the draft.