environment measures, which provide direct
payments to EU farmers who subscribe, on a
voluntary basis, to environmental commitments related to the preservation of the environment and maintaining the countryside, and
for its environmental beneficiary effects.
• The increasing interest in agricultural biogas
plants, enabling policy for manure management and other agricultural waste, and the
development of crops for the feedstock. In the
register of producers of agricultural biogas,
according to Agricultural Market Agency
(2016), in the period from January 2011 to
November 2016, there were 79 new business
entities and 85 new installations.
• Implemented concepts of determining a network of ecological corridors and patches. In
most of the proposed Polish ecological corridor networks—like in other European countries (e.g., The Pan European Ecological
Network, Trans-European Wildlife Network,
networks in France, Netherlands, Germany,
Austria and the Czech Republic)—forest
corridors with predominant cover of forest
habitats, of a continuous nature, play a key
role. Also important are forest corridors with
relatively small patches of a discontinuous
nature (“stepping stones”) forming a series of
neighboring islands of forest ecosystems, field
afforestation and roadside tree corridors
(complementary to other ecological routes),
and beyond-valley strips of pastures with
small bushes and trees (Czochański and
Wiśniewski 2018).
D. Threats
Amongst the potential threats we should, among
others, mention:
• The systematic reduction of the agricultural
area. From the 1950s, the area of arable land
began to decrease and this process is currently
underway (Bański 2010). According to the
Central Statistical Office of Poland data, in the
years 2004–2014, their area decreased by
10.8% (1.8 million ha). A particularly large
decline in the agricultural area during this
period (about 23‒28%) was recorded in the
Lesser Poland, Subcarpathian, Silesian,
Świętokrzyskie and West Pomeranian
Voivodships. According to Mickiewicz et al.
(2013), in the years 2002–2010, every year
there was a decline by 42,000 ha up to
62,000 ha of arable land. The constant and
systematic decrease in this area is related to
the urbanization and industrialization of the
country, housing development, road expansion, and afforestation.
• Increased risk of agricultural drought. In recent
decades an increase in the frequency and
severity of summer droughts is reported to be
an emerging issue globally (Kundzewicz 2008;
Somorowska 2016). Since the end of the sixties
of the last century in Poland, one can observe a
decrease of rainfall of about 70 mm, so much
that some regions of the country started to
suffer from insufficient amounts of water.
Droughts occurred in the country more and
more frequently (Dąbrowska‒Zielińska et al.
2011). Analysis carried out by Somorowska
(2016) shows a broad variability in the spatial
extent of droughts on the territory of Poland.
Drought events of differing severity occur in
both the winter and summer halves of the year.
The percentage of the drought-affected area has
witnessed an increase. A relatively large area of
Poland exhibits significant drying trends,
extending from the south-west towards the
center part of the country and, in some cases, to
the north-east. This especially pertains to
months in the summer half of the year, as well
as to the growing season considered as a whole.
The drying trends during the growing season
extend to approximately 21‒27% of the total
land area. However, drying signals occur over a
much larger percentage of the total area, which
amounts to over 50%. Lack of sufficient rainfall
during the plant growth season results in the
occurrence of agricultural drought, which links
various characteristics of meteorological
drought to agricultural impacts, focusing on
precipitation shortages, differences between
actual and potential evapotranspiration, soil
water deficits, etc. (Łabędzki and Bąk 2014).
Rural Resources (including Forestry) in the Local Development …
155
payments to EU farmers who subscribe, on a
voluntary basis, to environmental commitments related to the preservation of the environment and maintaining the countryside, and
for its environmental beneficiary effects.
• The increasing interest in agricultural biogas
plants, enabling policy for manure management and other agricultural waste, and the
development of crops for the feedstock. In the
register of producers of agricultural biogas,
according to Agricultural Market Agency
(2016), in the period from January 2011 to
November 2016, there were 79 new business
entities and 85 new installations.
• Implemented concepts of determining a network of ecological corridors and patches. In
most of the proposed Polish ecological corridor networks—like in other European countries (e.g., The Pan European Ecological
Network, Trans-European Wildlife Network,
networks in France, Netherlands, Germany,
Austria and the Czech Republic)—forest
corridors with predominant cover of forest
habitats, of a continuous nature, play a key
role. Also important are forest corridors with
relatively small patches of a discontinuous
nature (“stepping stones”) forming a series of
neighboring islands of forest ecosystems, field
afforestation and roadside tree corridors
(complementary to other ecological routes),
and beyond-valley strips of pastures with
small bushes and trees (Czochański and
Wiśniewski 2018).
D. Threats
Amongst the potential threats we should, among
others, mention:
• The systematic reduction of the agricultural
area. From the 1950s, the area of arable land
began to decrease and this process is currently
underway (Bański 2010). According to the
Central Statistical Office of Poland data, in the
years 2004–2014, their area decreased by
10.8% (1.8 million ha). A particularly large
decline in the agricultural area during this
period (about 23‒28%) was recorded in the
Lesser Poland, Subcarpathian, Silesian,
Świętokrzyskie and West Pomeranian
Voivodships. According to Mickiewicz et al.
(2013), in the years 2002–2010, every year
there was a decline by 42,000 ha up to
62,000 ha of arable land. The constant and
systematic decrease in this area is related to
the urbanization and industrialization of the
country, housing development, road expansion, and afforestation.
• Increased risk of agricultural drought. In recent
decades an increase in the frequency and
severity of summer droughts is reported to be
an emerging issue globally (Kundzewicz 2008;
Somorowska 2016). Since the end of the sixties
of the last century in Poland, one can observe a
decrease of rainfall of about 70 mm, so much
that some regions of the country started to
suffer from insufficient amounts of water.
Droughts occurred in the country more and
more frequently (Dąbrowska‒Zielińska et al.
2011). Analysis carried out by Somorowska
(2016) shows a broad variability in the spatial
extent of droughts on the territory of Poland.
Drought events of differing severity occur in
both the winter and summer halves of the year.
The percentage of the drought-affected area has
witnessed an increase. A relatively large area of
Poland exhibits significant drying trends,
extending from the south-west towards the
center part of the country and, in some cases, to
the north-east. This especially pertains to
months in the summer half of the year, as well
as to the growing season considered as a whole.
The drying trends during the growing season
extend to approximately 21‒27% of the total
land area. However, drying signals occur over a
much larger percentage of the total area, which
amounts to over 50%. Lack of sufficient rainfall
during the plant growth season results in the
occurrence of agricultural drought, which links
various characteristics of meteorological
drought to agricultural impacts, focusing on
precipitation shortages, differences between
actual and potential evapotranspiration, soil
water deficits, etc. (Łabędzki and Bąk 2014).
Rural Resources (including Forestry) in the Local Development …
155