Protection
of the Baltic Seashore
In
2009-2013 will be accomplished project of protecting Baltic Sea shore, which
belongs to administration of Municipal Office in Gdynia. This undertaking
includes four parts of South Baltic Sea shore: Ostrowo, Rozewie, Hel cape and
Westerplatte. Total cost of this project will amount to 69 371 175 zl
(around 16 000 000euro),
including 57 937 185 zl share that European Union gave to
Poland, within the scope of Operation Program – Infrastructure and Environment
(POIiŚ). The Environmental Protection Fund and Water Economy in Gdańsk play a
role of Institution that implements this Operation Program (POIiŚ). Fortifying
seashores is one of the 14 projects which are being accomplishing within
a scope (POIiŚ) program.
- These
projects are investment which refer to environment and people and this is what
we need. This (POIiŚ) program is intended for being implemented in big cities,
but in the Pomerania region, a lot of rural areas got a bailout. Thanks to it ,
finally sewage can be installed there. Projects are being implemented on
the Kashubia Region. Septic tanks very often were not hermetic
properly. When the investment is accomplished, environment will be cleaner and
safer for surrounding- says Danuta Drozd, Director of The
Environmental Protection Fund and Water Economy in Gdańsk. In the
Pomerania region all of these investments are being accomplished according to
plan. – she adds.
With a
group of journalists invited by The Environmental Protection Fund and
Water Economy in Gdańsk we had an opportunity to observe works of
fortifying seashore near Ostrowo city.
- In
the Ostrowo area we we were fortifying a 2600 m seashore with the aid of the
system invented by Italians. It consists in building artificial dune, the
constructions consists of 6 floors. The ground floor is based on
mattress on which they are layers of “big cages baskets”, in which at the
beginning lay down a land, soil and then cages- says Ryszard Dudziak
from WMW Company.
They will
plant a special type of grass on this built fortification. This type of grass
is found in the centre and north parts of Europe, mainly on sea dunes. It
produces very long rootstock, what contributes to consolidate dunes. Sea
Buckthorn will be also planted, because expands very well and has spikes and
provides additional protection against penetration of the area.
- The
strengthening will be not seen – emphasizes Jacek Adamski from
Maritime Department in Gdańsk – This strengthening should hold for about
a hundred years, even very strong 12 scale storms. It is formed just to protect
against flooding and leaching the only road leading to The Hel Peninsula.
The Hel
Peninsula is a special place, of still growing interest in tourists who are
attracted by clean air, beautiful sea and the only one Seal Centre in Poland.
Another advantage of Hel is undoubtedly access to the most southern tip of the
Polish Baltic coast. For the past several decades The Hel Peninsula used by the
military was unavailable for tourists. For tens of hectares are military
buildings, lo-cating batteries, tank destroyers even before the Second World
War, but first and foremost there are great forests and valuable natural areas.
We
are on one of the most unusual places in Europe, a few yards away in the sea is
60-meters fault built only with sand without rocks and stones – in
Krzysztof Skóra opinion, from University of Gdańsk this is ingenious
natural-geomorphological form.
Unfortunately
the cost on southeast of the entrance to the port of Hel is more like a
landfill debris and stones after a general renovation.
- Over
a distance of 400m of the shore work will induce reconstruction of seawall.
Wall will be built airtight, reinforced bottom and also will be taken
strengthening of stones, with the edges of the Gabion rollers – said
Roman Kołodziejski from Maritime Department in Gdańsk, and added: Part
of the debris will be selected, some crushed and in addition secured by a
stone. It will be a permanent part of strengthening the bank, which in the
first place will be effective and secondly look nice.
The area in
which will be made the strengthening of the shore is exceptionally natural
valuable and belongs, like the Hel Peninsula to the Natura 2000 network.
- It
is an area where we see enormous pressure for redevelopment of the banks, risk
is also disordered tourist penetration. This land had previosuly been
inaccessible for people as soon as military withdrawn and made this place
available, began treading paths in the dunes – said Iwona
Pabiś-Beszczyńska, head of Team for Nature Conservation, Environmental
Education and Information from Gdańsk. Last year there was a meeting of all
interested groups: Wejherowo Forest District, the Regional Directorate of
Environment Protection in Gdańsk, representatives of local government from Hel
and Gdańsk, scientists and associations. It has been developed a model of
tourism, whose element is boardwalk, hiking trails and footbridges over
sensitive sand dunes. At first the municipality of Hel has requested
Coordination Centre Environmental Projects for funding such a project, but it
was rejected.
- Fortunately,
Maritime Department wants not only to consolidate the seashore but
protect sand dunes against falling apart, therefore they accepted the improved
project of strengthening seashore by building there pathways and a boardwalk.
It is possible to accomplish, because we managed to save up the time and parts
of means which were allocated to implement the right one project. Currently is
taking place a process of gaining licence - Danuta Drozd says.
The
realization of the Baltic Seashore Protection Project which are in competence
of Maritime Department in Gdynia would enable on the one hand to
consolidate the seashore and improving it esthetic, and to get into order
touristic movements on the other hand. It would be able to realize by creating
the attractive touristic area, what may reduce investment pressure on that
area.
- We
want to protect natural values. The cheapest way would be fencing that area,
all the more, that exists there the white sand dune and the grey sand dune,
which is the priority environmental complex of European Union. Unfortunately,
sand dunes play a role and serves as public convenience, ‘dressing room’, and
meeting place. The cape is a place of a rest of bird, and besides that spreads
over there a beautiful view during the storm. – prof. Skóra says. She mentioned as well that they
successfully designed the humanocentric boulevard, where would be located
descents to water and space to sit down.
Mrs. Skórka
indicate how crucial is to regulate the touristic movement on the cape, cause
this place is visited by 370.000people annualy. Those data are delivered by
control tower with camcorder which enable to count people and animals. Besides
that building of the boardwalk would make possible to display the Laskowski
Battery as called “the cape battery”. In 1939 mentioned battery was a crucial
element of protecting Polish Seacoast. As was emphasized by Roman Kołodziejski,
Maritime Department in Gdynia is counting on collaboration with Association of
the Friends of Hel City.
The Sand
Dune Park, one of the touristic attraction of Hel, arose on the place where
formerly has been located seaside dune.
- We
want to present here typical for dunes plant cover of Baltic seashore, with
specific for them flora and fauna complexes and other elements of abiotic
environment. It enables to present succession stages, and depicts problems
connected with protection of seaside dunes against destruction – prof. Skórka
says.
Within
the sand dune park has built chain of overdunes bridges (gangways), which will
provide tourists and observers with superiority over exposition objects from
the one side, while from the other will protect the flora of dunes against
trample them. The gangway was built from recycling material. During a stroll we
are passing by Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum)
- Out
of this area we collected and removed 600 ton of rubbish including 4 tracks of
bottles. Afterwards we planted indigenous species of plants, thanks to that
there are already growing and flourishing Sea hollies (Eryngium maritimum) and
other protected species. We built particular arbours where are located solar
cells which provide lamps located under the gateway with energy. They turn on
at the night and compensate shade during the day for plants, they are main
source of light and allow plant to photosynthesis. – prof. Skórka says
Just for a
while we are visiting marine seal aquarium, where we watching how
qualified medical trainers are building a relationship between them
and seals, in order to have a chance to carry out variety medical tests for
instance: how big impact has a noise on sales.
Prof.
Skórka is giving to us fish cans simultaneously stressing that we need to watch
out and buying only those fish cans which are specially labeled, cause they
informed us that fishes were being catched in secure way for porpoise and
sales.
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