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Planned actions

Moving the most endangered and conflicting white stork nests on 300 standalone pillars, installation or replacement of 60 platforms and repairing 40 nests.

Securing 110 transformer stations, 80 disconnector posts and 80 extension posts.

Securing with markers 4 sections of 110 kV line, running through river valleys.

Creating a GIS database of white stork nests and a project website.

Online transmission from the white stork nest in the breeding season.

Purchase of a specialist off-road vehicle with an aerial platform.

Conducting 5 training sessions for energy company employees, municipal offices, veterinarians, volunteers, regarding interventions with nests and first aid for wounded and sick storks.

Renovation and adjustment of two rehabilitation centres for storks.

Monitoring of the breeding population of the white stork.

Organization of an international conference on the protection of the white stork.

Expected results:

  1. Protection of 400 endangered and conflicting nesting sites of the white stork.
  2. Reducing white stork mortality caused by electric shocks by securing 110 transformer stations, 80 disconnector posts and 80 extension posts, as well as reducing collisions by securing 4 sections of 110 kV line, running through river valleys.
  3. Stopping the decline of social tolerance in relation to the white stork, increasing knowledge about the protection of this species through training, education, protection of conflicting nests and online transmission from the nest.
  4. Increasing the safety of people and the effectiveness of interventions related to the protection of white stork nests, as a result of purchasing a specialist off-road vehicle with an aerial platform and implementation of a series of 5 training sessions.
  5. Creating a GIS database of white stork nests and a project website.
  6. Raising the standards of basic care and treatment of sick and injured storks as a result of renovating and equipping two rehabilitation centres.
  7. Long-term tracking of changes in the breeding population of white storks in the valleys of 7 largest rivers in eastern Poland (10 Natura 2000 areas) in order to determine the occurring phenomena and to define the most important threats.

Actions taken so far by PTOP in order to protect the white stork.

  1. In 2014, PTOP was the coordinator of the VII International White Stork Census on the territory of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and participated in the monitoring in the area of Podlaskie Voivodeship. The executors in their area of operation were, among others, Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley and Biebrza National Park. This action made it possible to initially clarify and define the specific works planned under this project.
  2. In connection with the implementation of the LIFE+ project entitled “Protection of the white stork population in the Natura 2000 Ostoja Warmińska region” on the territory of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, PTOP acquired experience in the implementation of planned activities and defined the anticipated problems (strengths and weaknesses of the project).
  3. In 2010, PTOP executed an ornithological inventory of SPA Marshy Valley of the Narew River and SPA Upper Narew River Valley, and in 2011 SPA Ravine Valley of the Narew River, SPA Lower Narew River Valley on behalf of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection. This action included the inventory of all species of birds from Annex I of the Birds Directive from the mentioned areas, including all the sites of the white stork. Therefore, PTOP has relatively current (requiring slight additions and verification) output data to schedule most of the actions foreseen in the project.
  4. PTOP, during its 30-year activity, set and built approximately 2000 platforms for white storks nests in north-eastern Poland.
  5. Biebrza National Park, since 1996, has been annually monitoring the status of the white stork population in 22 towns located within the park. This gave rise to plan most of the actions foreseen to be implemented in the project. In addition, since 2003, it has been running a bird rehabilitation centre, which accepts many white storks annually.
  6. Since 1999, Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley has been annually monitoring the status of the white stork population within the park and its transition zone (Zbyryt 2014). This gave rise to plan most of the actions foreseen to be implemented in this project. In addition, since 2000, it has been running a bird rehabilitation centre, which accepts mostly white storks (they often constitute 99% of all treated and rehabilitated birds).

7. There has been an identification of conflictual areas connected with collisions of storks on overhead lines in the river valleys of Narew, Biebrza, Nurzec and Bug rivers (field trips of PTOP, data of PGE Dystrybucja S.A. and unpublished data from local naturalists) and places with the highest mortality of birds due to electric shocks (data obtained from PGE Dystrybucja S.A. Branch Bialystok and own data of PTOP, Biebrza National Park and Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley).