Highlights:

• The Ministry of Climate and Environment is analysing possible measures to protect Międzyodrze following President Karol Nawrocki's veto.
• Local governments that have agreed to the creation of a national park in their area want to actively participate in activities to protect the Międzyodrze area.
• Some local governments want to create a park in their area as part of an existing national park, while others want the bill to be returned to the president's desk.
• The ministry will allocate PLN 450 million for renaturation, including for national parks and Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection (RDEP). 

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss possible actions following the President's veto on the bill establishing the Lower Odra Valley National Park.

The Minister, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, the Zachodniopomorskie Voivode, Adam Rudawski, and representatives of the Ministry of Climate and Environment discussed with local governments that agreed to the creation of the Lower Odra Valley National Park in their area and with members of the Initiative to create the Park.

I fully understand the disappointment of those who have been waiting for the first new Polish national park in 24 years. We are not giving up. We are developing a plan B. We have many possible solutions on the table, because our constant goal is to increase the protection of the Międzyodrze area. We are discussing these alternatives with local authorities from the West Pomeranian region

– said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, the Minister of Climate and Environment.

After President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the bill establishing a new Polish national park in the Lower Odra Valley, the Ministry of Climate and Environment began analysing possible measures to be taken for the Międzyodrze region.

We are not giving up – Międzyodrze deserves full protection, and its unique fauna and flora must have a chance to survive for future generations.  A national park is not just a name – it is a guarantee that the protection of Międzyodrze will be carried out professionally, with the participation of local governments and dedicated staff, which this area really needs

– said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, the Minister of Climate and Environment.

Representatives of the municipality of Kołbaskowo, the city of Szczecin, the Police County and the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship Regional Council have declared their intention to create a national park in Międzyodrze, including the areas of the municipalities of Kołbaskowo and Szczecin (approximately 1,600 hectares) under the protection of the existing national park.
At the same time, the municipality of Widuchowa and the Gryfino County have declared their intention to return to the President's desk with the bill, further clarifying the issues related to the buffer zone of the future park.

Measures to protect Międzyodrze are already underway. The Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship Landscape Parks Team is preparing a comprehensive plan to protect the entire Międzyodrze area, and the Ministry of Climate and Environment is working on solutions for additional funding for the protection of this area.

EU funds (Measure 02.04 Climate adaptation and disaster risk prevention) will enable the renaturation of, among other things, transformed watercourses.  This includes funds for the restoration of river, stream and lake ecosystems, wetlands, peat bogs and marshlands, habitat restoration and the development of valley retention. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management programme will have a budget of PLN 450 million, earmarked, among other things, for national parks and Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection, with the possibility of 100% co-financing of costs.