Farmers protested against the regulations on the reconstruction of nature. Now the government is working on their implementation

More common access to the natural environment and clean water; stopping urban concrete and more trees protecting against heat; Walks in valuable, natural forests; More fish in rivers, better yields in the fields and good quality food. This is a promise that the EU law on the reconstruction of natural resources brings.

Although non -governmental organizations and naturalists talk about these potential benefits, the law on the reconstruction of nature (Nature Restoration Law – NRL) broke in the media primarily on the wave of criticism and controversy. Last year it was accepted by the European Union for hair. Now, when the government is working on introducing regulations in Poland, the challenge is on the one hand to create a good plan, on the other – talking about it in such a way that will overcome disinformation and black PR protection.

Why does the law concern the “reconstruction” of nature? Because our previous “protection” turned out to be insufficient. Despite various existing forms of nature protection, most of the natural habitats are not in good condition. The number of birds and pollinating insects decreases, many species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction. The implementation of the NRL is to stop and reverse these negative trends. This is what Paweł Pawlaczyk from the Naturalists Club said about it on Tuesday at a conference on NRL:

The more we study ecosystems, the more we see how much we have managed to spoil us and earlier generations. 80 percent Polish forests were broken by previous generations of foresters, although they worked with the best intentions. Today’s forestry must take cleaning after previous generations for its main task. Today’s water ecosystem management is burdened with a great weight made – in the best intention – river regulation. Today we have to fix it.

National Plan of Nature Reconstruction

The EU law on the reconstruction of natural resources was adopted as a regulation – that is, its provisions apply to each member state directly (as opposed to directives, which must be “translated” to national law). This means that Poland must already deal with its implementation.

The first and most important step is to create a national plan to rebuild natural resources (KPO ZP). At the end of last year, a team that is to develop a plan started working at the Ministry of Climate and Environment. For now, actions are at the initial stage, but there will be a lot of work, and its pace must be fast.

By September 1, 2026, the document – previously adopted as a resolution of the Council of Ministers – should be sent to the European Commission, which in turn will present his comments. Until then, Poland should identify degraded natural areas, plan specific activities to play them until 2030, as well as a strategic action plan until 2050. Inter -ministerial and social consultations will be held.

River renaturization

Numerous challenges with the creation and implementation of the NRL were talked on Tuesday at a conference organized by a group of natural organizations (focused in a 10 % coalition – from the purpose of protection of 10 % of Poland).

Paweł Pawlaczyk from the Naturalists Club talked about the potential benefits of implementing NRL. It assumes, among others, renaturalization of rivers, restoring some of them free flow, playing some wetlands.

If we realize the NRL, we will significantly improve the functioning of our rivers, for the benefits of flood and drought. Of course, this has its price: to see the river as more than just the trough, but also the river valley. And sometimes make a place for this river

– said Pawlaczyk. Joanna Kopczyńska, a Polish Waters’ President of Polish Waters, said that in the matter of the NRL rivers, he should not be concerned, because his goals – in her opinion – are almost ambitious. The law assumes the renaturalization of 25,000 km of rivers in the European Union. Meanwhile, Polish Waters only in one year submitted applications for the financing of renaturization of almost 1,500 km of rivers, of course only in Poland – said Kopczyńska.

Dr Alicja Pawelec from WWF talked about what could happen when it succeeds, though to some extent, bording the river. A concrete threshold was cleared there in one weekend. – Fish immediately appeared in the river that had not had access to it for 50 years. We opened 20 km of the river to migration – she said.

“Flooding of fields” will not be

The law on the reconstruction of nature was criticized in agricultural environments and by some politicians due to the provisions that would allegedly harm farmers. The most famous was the issue of “flooding of farms” – in many statements and the media there was information that NRL required “flooding 400,000 hectares” of arable lands. This – as emphasized at the conference – is not true.

The false narrative in the NRL came from the recipes regarding the reproduction of wetlands and irrigation of dried peat bogs. There used to be many more wetlands in Poland (and not only), but for centuries intensive drying was conducted, primarily under the arable fields. Direct peat operation is still underway. This has its natural consequences – peat bogs are great water warehouses, absorb dioxide, they are the house of many species. When they are drained – greenhouse gases emit. All dried peat bogs in Poland emit as much annually as the Bełchatów power plant – said at the conference prof. Wiktor Kotowski.

The expert of the Wetland Protection Center explained that although NRL is talking about the hydration of dried peat bogs, in practice there will be no need to require it from farmers – although it is worth encouraging them.

– By 2050, we must re -hydrate and reproduce 150 thousand. Ha peat bogs – said Kotowski and pointed out, it is only about 10 percent of all dehydrated peat bogs in Poland. Of this 60 thousand ha falls into the areas of the State Forests, and 90,000 ha

This is very little. This recipe was even scandalously divided. You don’t need farmers if they don’t want to do it. Because so many areas can be found on state agricultural land or in the areas of national parks.

– he said. He added that the scaring of farmers of NRL “does not make sense”, and the same see the need to play water retention. At the same time, he criticized the Ministry of Agriculture, “sanctions further destruction and drying of peat bogs.”

Protection of wetlands is one of the activities affecting agriculture. Others relate to the reconstruction of the population of pollinating insects – necessary for some crops, reconstruction of soil quality and bird population. As experts emphasized, increasing the number of birds is of course not the goal of agriculture, but their population is a certain indicator. In recent years, it has dropped dramatically, which proves the degradation of nature.

Black PR reconstruction

In addition to a good plan to rebuild nature, the authorities must also learn to better communicate about the NRL and environmental protection in general – the experts at the conference agreed.

– Black PR around the right to rebuild nature did not come from nowhere. We were not prepared for this discussion and reliable information was replaced by disinformation. Sometimes also from the most important politicians in the state – said Dr. Paulina Sobiesiak -Pnszko from the Institute of Public Affairs.

In her opinion, farmers would not necessarily be so critical of the NRL if they knew well what he was really about. “And if they heard (untrue) information that someone would flood the field, it is hardly surprising that they had concerns,” she added. She also indicated that it is important to listen to the perspective of farmers themselves. On the one hand, they see problems such as drought or a decrease in soil quality. But, trying to take care of the profitability of farms, they act in conditions of agriculture focused on quantity. Which often contradicts ecological practices.