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Warsaw is home to numerous wild animals. It is estimated that around 230 species of birds visit the capital. One of the most interesting natural areas in Warsaw is undoubtedly the Vistula floodplain. To protect the bird species living here, the Middle Vistula Valley Natura 2000 site was established. This area is Poland’s most important breeding ground for the little tern, the ringed plover, the grey gull and the common sandpiper. The Vistula is also an extremely important migration corridor, making it an excellent place for wildlife watching.
The natural banks of the Vistula are a popular refuge and breeding ground for birds.
Our unit looks after the banks of the Vistula in Warsaw. This naturally includes the boulevards on the river’s left bank, but also the protection and development of the right bank – marking out paths, creating beaches and tidying up the greenery. Thanks to these efforts, the residents of Warsaw can enjoy access to what is almost wild nature.
We nurture and maintain the greenery, and look after the paths, boulevards and beaches. We ensure that the natural richness of this extraordinary space is preserved, whilst creating a place for rest and recreation that is unique on a European scale.
A river as large as the Vistula provides food and water, but also safe roosting places on its numerous islands and sandbanks. That is why many birds, having finished their breeding season and begun their migration to wintering grounds in ‘warmer climes’, choose the Warsaw stretch of the Vistula as part of their journey. Thanks to this, the capital’s residents can easily observe them – simply choose a convenient spot on the riverbank, arm yourself with binoculars and… wait.
Areas known as the “inter-bridge zone” (from the Grota–Roweckiego Bridge to the Gdański Bridge), the areas below the Siekierkowski Bridge, and the Vistula islands to the north and south of the city are particularly interesting for birdwatching. These areas are additionally protected as bird sanctuaries – the Kiełpińskie Shoals and the Zawadowskie Islands.
The Vistula is a habitat and feeding ground for many different species of birds – photo: Romina Sęk
It is a great responsibility to carry out activities in such a valuable area. When work began on the previously neglected and forgotten banks of the Vistula, the primary concern was to properly safeguard a true treasure – the nature along the river. The Vistula in Warsaw is unique on a European scale, which is why the capital has implemented and continues to implement numerous projects, including those co-funded by the EU, to protect this exceptional area.
One of these was the project entitled “Protection of the habitats of key bird species in the Middle Vistula Valley under the intense pressure of the Warsaw conurbation”. It was carried out between 2011 and 2018 thanks to funding from the LIFE+ Financial Instrument and a grant from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
The project aimed to protect shorebirds – particularly the common tern and the little tern. As part of this project, a series of measures were carried out to protect birds in Warsaw and the surrounding municipalities, including the creation of a permanent island covering several hectares on the Vistula, as well as two sandbanks and three floating islands. Thanks to these measures, four new breeding sites for shorebirds were observed, including colonies of common terns and little terns in new locations. As part of the project, a variety of educational activities were also carried out; educational paths and trails were marked out along the Vistula, and the Kamień Educational Pavilion was established – the main centre for environmental education run by Warsaw’s Green Areas Authority and a key landmark on the map of the Vistula District.
On the Warsaw section of the Vistula, the Green Areas Authority also implemented a project entitled “Restoration of floodplain meadows on the Warsaw section of the Natura 2000 site Middle Vistula Valley (PLB 140004)” The aim of the project was to restore natural habitats to their proper condition by reducing the presence of invasive alien species: Canadian goldenrod and giant goldenrod (Solidago canadensis and S. gigantea) and box elder (Acer negundo). The project covered almost 70 hectares of land along the Vistula, and some of these activities continue to this day.
You can find out more about the Natura 2000 site ‘Middle Vistula Valley’ at: https://www.gov.pl/web/rdos-warszawa/obszary-natura-2000
