ZST Rybnik

ENDANGERED SPECIES OF THE SILESIAN PROVINCE

MOST OF POLISH PEOPLE THINK, THAT THE SILESIAN

PROVINCE IS DEFINED BY COAL MINES, SMOKING

CHIMNEYS, STEEL INDUSTRY AND DEGRADATION OF

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

BUT THE AMAZING FACT IS , THAT WE HAVE VERY

ATTRACTIVE AREAS OF BESKIDY MOUNTAINS AND

MORE THAN 64 NATURE RESERVES. ONE OF THE MOST

FAMOUS IS LOCATED NEAR RYBNIK- ITS NAME IS

ŁĘŻCZOK.

The most famous species that are living in theAreas mentioned above are:

1. BIELIK (ang. The White-tailed Eagle; lat. Haliaeetus albicilla ):

● It is our biggest predator among birds- 80-90cm

● In Poland it lives mainly in the north

● It was endangered of extinction but thanks to intense effort of ecological organisations, there are over 1000 pairs now.

● Even now the eagle is in a big danger because of hunters and poachers.

● In our region the eagle suffers mainly because of water and fishcontamination .

EAGLE

2. Nietoperze (Chiroptera; Bats)

● In Silesia there are 23 out of 25 species of bats

● It is mainly due to a big number of abandoned houses, barns and wild caves

● However, many bats are killed by accident while demolishing old buildings, mines, etc.

● There is also a big loss of bats due to car accidents

BATS

● Many steps have to be taken in order

to protect these beautiful animals.

First of all people need to be

educated about the importance of

these creatures. What is more, all the

buildings should be checked before

any demolishing work is done.

BATS

3. Bóbr (Castor fiber; Beaver)

● Beavers have been always in danger

because of their valuable fur and fat

● Another problem was the destruction

of their natural habitat by clearing

rivers, regulating river banks, etc.

● Fortunately, there was a successful

reintroduction of beavers in Poland

which noticeably increased their

number

BEAVER

BEAVER'S HABITAT IN RYBNIK

BEAVER'S HABITAT IN RYBNIK

4. Żubr (Bison bonasus)

● Bison is a herd animal, which lives in both mixed and male groups (8-13 animals)

● They are usually seen near meadows and areas covered with water

● They do not defend their territory

● In Poland they are mainly seen in Białowieża forest, where they were protected by Polish king Zygmunt II Augustus. He has also introduced death penalty for poaching bisons.

EUROPEAN BISON

5. Puchacz (Bubo bubo)

● It is probably the biggest type of owl,

which used to be associated with

death and bad luck

● People often used it as a bait while

hunting

● Now its situation improved due to

environmental laws introduced in

many countries

BUBO BUBO

6. KOTEWKA ORZECH WODNY (TRAPA NATANS)

KOTEWKA

● It is a water plant

that is used as a

symbol of Rybnik

● Its nuts are edible

and it is often used

in medicine to fight

with infections, loss

of apetite and even

as an afrodisiac

● It is very rarely

seen due to high

water and animal

contamination

Rybnik’s Enviromental values

In our forests, meadows and lakes we have many interesting species-65 protectes species of plants including 17 placed on the „RED LIST”-200 protected animals including 28 placed on international-CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) list

1.D. Absalon, M. Leśniok; Przewodnik przyrodniczy po Rybniku; Infomax Katowice, 1999.2.http://www.przyroda.katowice.pl/3.http://www.gios.gov.pl/4.http://rybnickaprzyroda.w.interia.pl/5.http://www.nedza.pl/turystyka/przyroda.html6.http://ptaki.info7.http://www.bobry.pl/

References

Thank you foryour attention!