The Possibilities of Open-Cast Mining in Landscape Parks in Poland—A Case Study

Agnieszka Pawłowska,Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska

doi:10.3390/resources9100122

Agnieszka Pawłowska, Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9100122

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Abstract

Landscape parks are one of the most important tools for nature conservation in Europe. Cultural landscape protection, coupled in particular with rural tradition of land use plays a very important role. A common feature of these popular protected areas is the fact that they are established legally, in accordance with the principle of sustainable development. Activities carried out in the landscape parks are not entirely subservient to nature conservation. This makes them different from national parks and natural reserves. In Poland, landscape parks together with their buffer zones cover more than 13% of the country’s territory, which frequently causes conflicts among mining entrepreneurs and limits their activities. Mining in landscape parks in Poland is not forbidden by domestic law; however, detailed guidelines in this respect are determined by the assembly of a given province. Additionally, the process of applying for an extraction licence could be burdened with the threat of social protests, which may result in extending it by many years, and because of which a project may fail to be completed. Optimal solutions to these obstacles are already proposed by “Czatkowice” Limestone Mine (Małopolska Province). This case study presents an efficient practice of a smooth and effective decision-making process of obtaining a new mining licence in a landscape park. It also outlines certain aspects of the social licence to operate (SLO) as well as some appropriate methods of acting in complicated environments and spatial conditions.

Highlights

Nature conservation in Europe and other parts of the world, is usually accomplished within designated protected areas
These results enabled the correlation of Polish landscape parks with analogous forms of nature conservation in Europe Reviewing the available legal acts which remain in force, the authors could specify conditions related to mining activities
The number and location of the Polish landscape parks is provided on the basis of the Central Register of Nature Conservation Forms [30] run by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection

Summary

Introduction

Nature conservation in Europe and other parts of the world, is usually accomplished within designated protected areas. The history of their creation across the globe most likely reaches back to the end of 18th [1,2] and the first half of 19th century in Europe [3] and began with forms of strict protection—nature reserves and the national parks [4]. The highest protection regime concerns national parks and nature reserves, lower—yet still high—forms that can be jointly described as “landscape parks”. Nature conservation is deeply rooted in the law and regulated by legislation in virtually all European countries, Poland included [7], Resources 2020, 9, 122; doi:10.3390/resources9100122 www.mdpi.com/journal/resources

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