On the 20th of September 2013, the coordinators of the project “ActiveKPN” visited the Ujście Warty National Park (Warta River Mouth NP), where a collaboration focusing on the LIFE+ projects implemented by both Parks was initiated.

We spoke, among others with Łukasz Ulbrych and Szymon Śródecki who work on the project “Polskie Ostoje Ptaków” (“Polish bird sanctuaries”). The aim of this project is to reduce the pressure of invasive alien predatory mammals – the American mink (Mustela vison) and common raccoon (Procyon lotor) on water and marsh birds nesting in the park. We also had the opportunity to see the traps for the monitoring of the numbers of the American mink on the banks of the watercourses of the Ujście Warty National Park (on the photo Łukasz Ulbrych with such a trap).

Łukasz Cieślik was the coordinator of the second LIFE+ project in Ujście Warty NP: the "Ograniczenie sukcesji” (“Limitation of succession”) project. The aim of this project is the improving of habitats in the Ujście Warty National Park by the removing of willow shrubs on an area of about 200 hectares. The felling of these shrubs will allow to recreate a key area for migrating and breeding birds.

Our stay in the Ujście Warty National Park was short but rich in experience. We hope that the contacts made in its course will result in a better implementation of our projects in the future.

We recommend the following websites of LIFE+ projects implemented or co-implemented by Ujście Warty National Park:
www.ograniczeniesukcesji.pl - LIFE09 NAT/PL/000254 “Ograniczenie sukcesji – Restitute and maintain the habitats of breeding waterfowl birds”
www.ptaki-life.pl –LIFE09 NAT/PL/000263, “Polskie Ostoje Ptaków – Protection of water and marsh birds in five national parks - reconstructing habitats and curbing the influence of invasive species” (the main beneficiary of the project is the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Białowieża).

http://bagnasadobre.pl/ – LIFE09 NAT/PL/000257, “Bagna są Dobre! - Active conservation of waterfowl and waders in the area of the Northern Polder in the Warta Mouth National Park. Wetlands Work Wonders! Stage 2”