The project covers 2 Natura 2000 sites: The Upper Narew Valley Special Protection Area PLB200007 and the Knyszyn Forest SPA PLB200003. The main objective of the project is to maintain wetland bird populations at a favorable conservation status through optimal shaping of habitats by means of grazing.
The planned works will consist in preserving and restoring grazing on an area of 85 ha through the construction of: electric antipredator fences on two indicated plots, of a total area of 85 ha, appropriate hydro-technical infrastructure enabling irrigation and water management on pastures in Charadriiformes refuges (21 dams, 19 dikes, 6 watering holes), renovation and construction of fences on winter pastures for horses grazing in spring and summer surrounded by electric fences, construction of 1 shed – a shelter from the sun on hot days and ensuring an appropriate number of animals for extensive grazing. In the "Gródek" refuge the grazed area surrounded by anti-predator fence is 26 ha, and in the "Trześcianka" refuge – 61 ha.
In both refuges these plots are a part of a larger complex of restored meadows: in Gródek there is a total of 135 ha and in Trześcianka –180 ha. The project site is a meadow that was grazed until the 1980s and then abandoned and overgrown with grass and willow. PTOP cleared the willow bushes overgrowing these plots, then for several years they were mowed once a year. Next, the plot in Trześcianka, and in subsequent years in Gródek, was fenced with a wooden fence and Polish Red cows and Polish ponies began to graze there. Preliminary surveys conducted in 2016 (about 60 ha near the village of Trześcianka) show that the response of birds to the change of use of these areas is immediate – in the first year after the start of grazing, breeding of lapwing (10 couples), black-tailed godwit (1 couple) and redshank (3 couples) was observed, and in addition, the area was used during migration as an important stopping, resting, and feeding area by many other bird species (ruff, herons, swans, geese, waders – several thousand birds). In Gródek, on a plot of about 26 ha, we have the first anti-predator fence; monitoring data show that the breeding success of Charadriiformes inside the fenced area is close to 100%. These areas, together with adjacent plots, belong to PTOP, which guarantees that the effects will be maintained after the project is completed
Wesja Polska