PRELIMINARY REFLECTIONS OF 1ST BIODIVERSITY RESTORATION PROJECT IN POLAND

The outbreak of war in Ukraine severed all contacts between Poland and Russia, incl. the area of transboundary Vistula Lagoon. Fortunately, it coincided with the completion of independent passage from the Baltic Sea to the lagoon from the Polish side. The sediment dredged during construction was and is deposited on an artificial island, which was intended to serve as safe haven for targeted birds and thus became the 1st biodiversity restoration project in Polish coastal areas. Initial concepts of this scheme were presented in Różyński and Szmytkiewicz 2023 – in brief they assume management of the island as grassland and prevent spontaneous succession of vegetation to discourage overabundant cormorants . The current work demonstrates first reflections on actual performance of the island (still under construction!) as bird sanctuary.