Is the Vegetation Succession a Threat for Rare and Protected Species in a Sand Quarry? Case Study of the Kuźnica Warężyńska Sand Quarry (Southern Poland)

Oimahmad Rahmonov,Artur Szymczyk,Jacek Rozkowski

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/362/1/012010

Oimahmad Rahmonov, Artur Szymczyk + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/362/1/012010

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Abstract

The work focuses on analyzing and reason of occurrences of rare and protected species by European and Polish low. These species are growing in the areas of former sand exploitations quarry and have different ecological requirements. The origin of such quarries is strictly connected strictly connection with development of coal mining in the Silesian Upland (Southern Poland). From the end of exploitation the processes of spontaneous vegetation ecosystems have been observed. The research was conducted in Southern Poland in the area of the Kuznica Warężyńska sand quarry with an area of approximately 8 km2, exploited in the years 1972 - 2003. In results of work has been confirmed by 2 types of habitats which are included in I Annex Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora forms in zone of groundwater outflow. They are 7140-transition mires and quaking bogs and 7230 - alkaline fens. In these communities, numerous population of 22 protects spiecies as Dactylorhiza maculata, D. majalis, Epipactis atrorubens, E. helleborine, E. palustris, Malaxis monophyllos, Lycopodiella inundata, Pinguicula vulgaris, including Liparis loeselii found in Annex II of the Habitats Directive occur. These are early-successional species, whose numbers in next successions phases decrease or after several years completely disappear. The analyzed flora differs in terms of life forms, ecological requirements related to the habitat mosaics. The fragments of sand quarry that were where are not reclaimed can play important role in nature conservation not only in local level but even on supra-regional scale. Hence, this object is a place for many rare, threatened with extinction species and plant communities as substitute habitats. The conservation of such species and plant communities in sand quarry needed active protection. It consists in maintaining the initial stages of succession and preventing the formation of the forest.

Highlights

To date, the extraction of various minerals has affected the environment of approximately 1% of the world’s land area [1]
The purpose of our work is to: (1) analyse the occurrence of protected plant species in non-reclaimed parts of the Kuźnica Warężyńska former sand quarry; (2) attempt to answer the question on what factors determine the occurrence of valuable phytocoenoses and protected species and how their numbers change during succession; (3) attempt to answer the question of whether forgoing costly reclamation procedures, at least in some cases, would be acceptable from the point of view of ecosystem restoration and whether the development of such areas may serve the broadly understood purpose of nature conservation
Numerous populations of rare and protected plant species as well as plant communities of European significance are present in non-reclaimed parts of the former sand quarry

Summary

Introduction

The extraction of various minerals has affected the environment of approximately 1% of the world’s land area [1]. In Europe, including Poland, the area of land degraded as a result of sand quarrying rapidly increased in the 20th century, which was associated with the development of coal mining centres. This environmental damage often amounts to the complete destruction of existing ecosystems, consisting in the destruction of the vegetation and soil cover, the mother rock being exposed or the surface being covered with fresh rock material [6,7]. Water conditions and even the microclimate are transformed as well

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