Wings Over Water
Explore the characteristics of wetlands and learn about OTOP’s work in these environments.
Wetlands
These are some of the world's most valuable, yet most threatened ecosystems. For wetland birds, they provide breeding sites, feeding grounds and refuges along long-distance migration routes.
Marshes, bogs, oxbow lakes, saltmarshes, lakes, and wet meadows form an extensive network of stops without which many species cannot survive.
Wood sandpiper Tringa glareolaThe Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
There has been a dramatic decline in wetland-associated birds in recent decades. Drainage of land for cultivation, river regulation, pollution, and climate change are leading to the disappearance of these habitats.
With each wetland lost, some of the richness of nature disappears, and with it specific species of birds whose song will never again sound in these places.
"Birds of the Wetlands" exhibition
It's an invitation to immerse yourself in a world full of sound, colour, and movement. It depicts birds whose presence is a reminder that by protecting wetlands, we are protecting much more than the wetlands themselves - we are safeguarding the future of entire ecosystems, including those in which humans live.
A male little bittern Ixobrychus minutus (2016-07-20)The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
Wetlands - what are they?
According to the definition adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, wetlands, or wetlands, are defined as areas of marsh, swamp, and peatland or bodies of water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or intermittent, with standing or flowing water ...
... fresh, brackish or saline waters (including marine waters that are less than 6 m deep at low tide).Wetlands combine features of terrestrial and aquatic habitat and, due to their inaccessibility to humans, have been and continue to be refuges for wild plants, and animals.
It is also worth noting that wetlands are water storage areas, they are natural water filters and reservoirs.
In addition, the wetland is an important foraging and nesting site for many valuable and rare bird species: including great curlew, redshank, lapwing, curlew, common snipe, platypus, and barred warbler.
They also provide a rich source of food, making them an ideal place for the development of eggs and fry, an excellent feeding ground for birds, and a habitat and breeding ground for insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
Goosander Mergus merganser with its young (2022-05)The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
What does OTOP do for wetlands and birds connected to them?
As the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds, we have been working for over 30 years to protect nature, especially birds and their habitats. Many of our activities focus precisely on the protection of wetlands.
Together with Polish and foreign partners, we protect many important natural areas.
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For example, such as:
📍 Orawsko-Nowy Targ Peat Bogs – one of the most valuable and largest complexes of raised peat bogs in the country, belonging to the Natura 2000 network and being a habitat for, among others, the black grouse, the lesser spotted eagle, and the corncrake.
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📍 The ecosystem of the Vistula River – one of the last large rivers in Europe with preserved natural hydromorphological processes of the riverbed, which is a breeding site for, among others, the oystercatcher, the little tern and the ringed plover.
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We approach this comprehensively – we conduct active protection and research, build social awareness, and exchange experiences in the field of protection and restoration of ecosystems and their winged inhabitants.
Goosander Mergus merganser (2022-05)The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP)
We believe that the actions we take will help protect our wetlands – so that they continue to be full of life and resound with the singing of birds.
Keep exploring!
Click here to learn more about selected species of birds that inhabit the wetlands.
🦆 The Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), founded in 1991, is a public benefit non-governmental organisation. We work to protect wild birds and areas where they live. Our actions include monitoring, active conservation, shaping policies that have impact on the environment, and education. We are supported by several thousand members and volunteers. Our goal is to preserve the natural heritage for the good of the current and future generations.
Interested in Natural history?
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