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PL076
Middle Warta River Valley
Location Poland, wielkopolskie
Central coordinates 18o 10.00' East  52o 12.00' North
IBA criteria C1, C2, C6
Area 57,400 ha
Altitude 20 - 60m
Year of IBA assessment 2010

Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków



Ornithological information Up to 35,000 or more waterbirds roost here, mainly wildfowl Anser/Anas with lesser numbers of waders (Charadrii). Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Aythya nyroca (recently extinct here), Gallinago media (two pairs). A total of 153 species have been recorded breeding.

Site description A 120 km stretch of the middle Warta river between Babin village (near Uniejów town) and Pogorzelica village (near Pyzdry town), including the Ko³o valley (Kotlina Kolska) and the Konin basin (Dolina Koniñska). Much of the valley used to flood each spring, but after the construction of Jeziorsko reservoir, spring flooding stopped completely, and habitats changed greatly. As a result of river embankment, the Ko³o valley is now a mosaic of cultivated fields, intensively used meadows, pastures, small stands of woodland and settlements. The main land-use is grazing. The Konin basin, however, has a more natural character. Here the river floods onto wet meadows in April and hollows within meadows are permanently flooded and not cultivated. Low-lying oxbow lakes and their surrounding areas are covered mainly with water-fringe vegetation. There are also riverside beds of osier Salix, scattered plantations, small areas of carr, and sand-dunes covered with pine Pinus forest. Land-use here is mainly non-intensive agriculture, including haymaking in meadows and livestock-grazing on private farms.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
White Stork Ciconia ciconia breeding  2005-2008  210-220 breeding pairs  good  C6  Least Concern 
Corncrake Crex crex breeding  2005-2008  130-150 males only  good  C1  Least Concern 
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana breeding  2005-2008  25-50 males only  good  C6  Least Concern 
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago breeding  2005-2008  120-200 breeding pairs  good    Least Concern 
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa breeding  2005-2008  75-125 breeding pairs  good  C1  Near Threatened 
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata breeding  2005-2008  10-14 breeding pairs  good  C1  Near Threatened 
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding  2005-2008  200 breeding pairs  good  C6  Least Concern 
Black Tern Chlidonias niger breeding  2005-2008  120-250 breeding pairs  good  C2, C6  Least Concern 
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops breeding  2005-2008  150-180 breeding pairs  good    Least Concern 
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius breeding  2005-2008  185-220 breeding pairs  good  C6  Least Concern 
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica breeding  2005-2008  12-25 breeding pairs  good  C6  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Dolina Srodkowej Warty - PLB300002 Birds Directive 57,104 protected area contained by site 57,104  
Lasy Zerkowsko-Czeszewskie - PLH300053 Habitats Directive 7,158 protected area overlaps with site 5,670  
Nadwarcianski Park Krajobrazowy Landscape Park 13,420 protected area contained by site 13,428  
Ostoja Nadwarcianska - PLH300009 Habitats Directive 26,653 protected area overlaps with site 20,011  
Pyzdrski OChK Protected Landscape Area 19,370 protected area overlaps with site 10,000  
Uniejowski OChK Protected Landscape Area 17,686 protected area overlaps with site 5,000  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Forest Alluvial and very wet forest; Mixed woodland; Native coniferous woodland  16%
Other   1%
Grassland Humid grasslands; Mesophile grasslands; Steppes and dry calcareous grassland  38%
Wetlands (inland) Raised bogs; Rivers and streams; Standing freshwater; Water fringe vegetation  2%
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Arable land; Highly improved re-seeded landscapes; Ruderal land  43%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture 90%
water management 10%
hunting -

Management considerations The main threats are posed by changes in the water-regime of the Warta river following the construction of Jeziorsko reservoir upstream, by the abandonment of agricultural management of meadows, by the conversion of meadows to arable land following damming and drainage, and by agricultural intensification locally.

Protection status National Partial International None13,428 ha of IBA covered by Landscape Park (Nadwarciañski, 13,428 ha). 10,000 ha of IBA covered by Protected Landscape Area (Pyzdrski, 16,572 ha). 5,000 ha of IBA covered by Protected Landscape Area (Uniejowski, 18,000 ha).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Middle Warta River Valley. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013

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