Protection of Biodiversity, Soils and Geological Heritage

The objective of the course is to promote students awareness of the importance of geological heritage conservation and soil protection, based on assessment of landscape conditions, susceptibility of soils to degradation and restoration of degraded soils as well as familiarize them with legislation on soil protection. Furthermore protection of biodiversity of rural areas gives the students basic information of biological diversity concepts and levels. Lectures are focused on forms of nature and biodiversity protection on rural areas. Classes are concentrated on comparison of biodiversity strategies in particular countries.

1. Multifunctional role of soils in the environment. Basic terms related to soil protection and conservation.

2. Soil erosion.

3. Physical deterioration of soils, geotechnical deformations.

4. Chemical degradation –soil acidification and pollution with organic and inorganic materials.

5. Biological degradation – organic matter decline

6. Definition of the biological diversity. Main resolutions of the Biodiversity Convention.

7. Threats and protection of species: red lists and books, protection “in situ” and “ex situ”, protection of the threatened weed species.

8. Biodiversity protection on the ecosystems level – renaturalization of changed and degraded ecosystems.

9. Seminatural plant communities protection.

7. Importance of territorial protection in the preservation of ecosystem diversity. Paneuropean Strategy of Biodiversity Protection.

10. State and protection strategy of biodiversity in Poland.

11. Nature reservations and national parks in Poland. Landscape parks, protected landscape areas in Poland.

12. Monuments of nature, stands for completing documentation ecological lands, nature-landscape complexes in Poland.

13. Geological heritage. The Geosites net and proposals of the European Geoparks on the area of Poland.

Classes: 4 hours

1. Realization of biodiversity protection idea in particular countries.

Laboratories: 12 hours

1. Properties of soils with different resistance against degradation processes: determinations of organic carbon, pH values and grain size distribution.

2. Buffer capacities determination.

3. Determination of cation exchange capacities.

4. Analysis of results and summary.

Field classes: 16 hours

1. Trip to the Ojców National Park or Nida Basin – agriculture and nature protection on the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and Nida Basin, 8 hours

2. Trip to the Pieniny National Park to examine geological and soil heritage or protection of the seminatural grasslands, 8 hours.

Ciarkowska K., Gąsiorek M., Mazurek R., Zaleski T. Management in protected areas and protection of biodiversity in rural areas, w: Agroecology : monograph / Ropek Dariusz ( red. ), 2014, Publishing House of the University of Agriculture, ISBN 978-83-64758-06-5, ss. 29-54

Louka E. Biodiversity and Human Rights: The International Rules for the Protection of Biodiversity, 2002.

Andrew S. Pullin Conservation Biology. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Troeh F. R. Soil and water conservation : productivity and environmental protection, New Jersey, 1999.

Haan F., Reynweld M.I.V. Soil pollution and soil protection, International Book Distributing Co, 2004.

MirsalI.A. Soil Pollution: Origin, Monitoring & Remediation,

Springer Verlag, 2009.

Unger P.W. Soil and Water Conservation Handbook: Policies, Practices, Conditions and Terms, Haworth Pr Inc, 2006.

Evaluation of student presentations, written exam, written report from field classes.