projected impacts of climate change are positive, for others they seem to remain
negative (e.g. increased frequency of summer flooding: positive for Phragmition,
negative for Caricion davalianae).
If the hydrological impacts of climate change remained continuing the trends
observed in 1951–2009, reactions of stakeholders (mostly farmers and land owners)
will induce indirect, but still climate-related pressures to ecosystems, among which
the most important and the most negative to wetlands seems to be the drainage.
In the case of numerous management measures, which have so far been successfully implemented in the BNP (hydrographic network restoration, purchase of
private grounds), the enhanced establishment of stakeholder dialogue is necessary
in order (1) to underline the awareness of climate change impacts to the management and (2) to obtain appropriate feedback – a key to successful management
adaptation. Observing the attitudes of stakeholders we state, that still more emphasis should be put in order to present the climate change as a local problem than – as
so far considered – a global undefined phenomenon.
More spatial flexibility is needed when setting up both short- and long-term
management measures on wetlands in the Biebrza Valley, especially due to
meadow mowing and the establishment of strict and active protection. It is likely
that the contemporary management measures will lose their conservation efficiency
if the continuous feedback of direct climate influences, indirect climate influences
(by changing management) and natural evolution of ecosystems was not considered
in environmental management on wetlands in general, and in the Biebrza Valley in
particular. Adaptive approaches in environmental management of wetlands (and the
Biebrza Valley in particular) should be aimed at (1) continuous and extensive
monitoring of management measures efficiency along with (2) analysis of reference, unmanaged sites dynamics. Once the climate impacts were defined in positive
feedbacks to ecosystem status, management measures such as meadow mowing
should be critically reviewed as to their ecological efficiency.
Facing the presented results we conclude that any prospective, long-term conservation and maintenance strategies, which are planned to be implemented in
valuable wetlands with no particular regard to possible direct and indirect
climate-induced alterations on hydrological processes, will fail to fulfil the requirements of sustainable ecosystem management.
Acknowledgements The presented study was funded by the project 2CE168P3 HABITCHANGE – Adaptive management of climate-induced changes of habitat diversity in protected
areas, implemented through the E.U. Central Europe Programme, co-financed by the European
Regional Development Fund. The authors gratefully thank Michał Fabiszewski, Andrzej
Grygoruk, Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, Robert Makuła, Adam Szarnecki, Danuta Zawadzka and
Marek Z ˙ danuk from Biebrza National Park for an outstanding contribution to data collection
and processing, as well as for the successful project implementation. Field services of the Biebrza
National Park are acknowledged for their continuous and detailed monitoring of the hydrological
and meteorological processes. HABIT-CHANGE project partners are acknowledged for the
effective cooperation in project implementation. Reviewers are acknowledged for their thoughtful
comments which helped improve this manuscript.
14 Climate-Induced Challenges for Wetlands: Revealing. . .
229
negative (e.g. increased frequency of summer flooding: positive for Phragmition,
negative for Caricion davalianae).
If the hydrological impacts of climate change remained continuing the trends
observed in 1951–2009, reactions of stakeholders (mostly farmers and land owners)
will induce indirect, but still climate-related pressures to ecosystems, among which
the most important and the most negative to wetlands seems to be the drainage.
In the case of numerous management measures, which have so far been successfully implemented in the BNP (hydrographic network restoration, purchase of
private grounds), the enhanced establishment of stakeholder dialogue is necessary
in order (1) to underline the awareness of climate change impacts to the management and (2) to obtain appropriate feedback – a key to successful management
adaptation. Observing the attitudes of stakeholders we state, that still more emphasis should be put in order to present the climate change as a local problem than – as
so far considered – a global undefined phenomenon.
More spatial flexibility is needed when setting up both short- and long-term
management measures on wetlands in the Biebrza Valley, especially due to
meadow mowing and the establishment of strict and active protection. It is likely
that the contemporary management measures will lose their conservation efficiency
if the continuous feedback of direct climate influences, indirect climate influences
(by changing management) and natural evolution of ecosystems was not considered
in environmental management on wetlands in general, and in the Biebrza Valley in
particular. Adaptive approaches in environmental management of wetlands (and the
Biebrza Valley in particular) should be aimed at (1) continuous and extensive
monitoring of management measures efficiency along with (2) analysis of reference, unmanaged sites dynamics. Once the climate impacts were defined in positive
feedbacks to ecosystem status, management measures such as meadow mowing
should be critically reviewed as to their ecological efficiency.
Facing the presented results we conclude that any prospective, long-term conservation and maintenance strategies, which are planned to be implemented in
valuable wetlands with no particular regard to possible direct and indirect
climate-induced alterations on hydrological processes, will fail to fulfil the requirements of sustainable ecosystem management.
Acknowledgements The presented study was funded by the project 2CE168P3 HABITCHANGE – Adaptive management of climate-induced changes of habitat diversity in protected
areas, implemented through the E.U. Central Europe Programme, co-financed by the European
Regional Development Fund. The authors gratefully thank Michał Fabiszewski, Andrzej
Grygoruk, Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, Robert Makuła, Adam Szarnecki, Danuta Zawadzka and
Marek Z ˙ danuk from Biebrza National Park for an outstanding contribution to data collection
and processing, as well as for the successful project implementation. Field services of the Biebrza
National Park are acknowledged for their continuous and detailed monitoring of the hydrological
and meteorological processes. HABIT-CHANGE project partners are acknowledged for the
effective cooperation in project implementation. Reviewers are acknowledged for their thoughtful
comments which helped improve this manuscript.
14 Climate-Induced Challenges for Wetlands: Revealing. . .
229