Threats and values in the area of Silesian Voivodeship

Województwo śląskie jest jednym z naj-mniejszych w Polsce, ale należy do regionów o największej antropopresji. Obszar ten jest bogaty w surowce mineralne, których wydobycie i przetwarzanie spowodowało z jednej strony intensywne uprzemysłowienie i urbanizację tego re-gionu, a z drugiej strony silne przekształcenie środowiska naturalnego. Dlatego województwo utożsamiane jest głównie z jego centralną częścią, postrzeganą jako obszar klęski ekologicznej. W ostatnich latach, ze względu na restrukturyzację przemysłu i znaczne ograniczenie zagrożeń dla środowiska, obraz województwa śląskiego zmienia się. Tereny o dobrze przeprowadzonej rekultywacji, ciekawe zabytki dawnej techniki w połączeniu z wysokimi wartościami przyrodniczymi i krajobrazowymi, dużą lesistością oraz licznymi obszarami chronionymi sprawiają, że województwo śląskie staje się bardzo ciekawym i atrakcyjnym miejscem dla rozwoju turystyki i rekreacji

Lithodynamics of aeolian sands in the eastern part of the Silesian Upland

Celem pracy jest przed-stawienie litodynamiki piasków eolicznych na trzech obszarach wschodniej części Wyżyny Śląskiej (Kotlina Biskupiego Boru, „pustynie”: Starczynowska i Błędowska (rys. 1). Wybrano je ze względu na ich położenie względem starszej rzeź-by oraz historię deforestacji. Pod względem litodynamiki wyróżniono obszary z przewagą deflacji, akumulacji oraz przejś-ciowe (rys. 3). Stwierdzono, że dynamika procesów eolicznych we wschodniej części Wyżyny Śląskiej jest różna. Najbar-dziej zróżnicowane środowisko piasków eolicznych jest widoczne w obrębie „pustyń”: Starczynowskiej i Błędowskiej", natomiast najbardziej jednorodne – w obrębie Kotliny Biskupiego Boru. To zróżnicowanie zależy od obecności starszej rzeźby i roślinności. W miarę przybliżania się do Progu Górnojurajskiego materiał piaszczysty w coraz większym stop-niu nabywał cechy typowe dla obniżonej aktywności litodynamicznej (akumulacyjnych). Przy rzekach, będących natu-ralną barierą dla dalszego ruchu piasku, także przeważały obszary akumulacji. Próg Środkowotriasowy nie był tu mor-fologicznie istotny, gdyż nie stanowił istotnej przeszkody dla wiatrów zachodnich. Brak pokrywy roślinnej spowodo-wał, że osady piaszczyste mają cechy teksturalne charakterystyczne dla obszarów o wzmożonej aktywności litodynamicz-nej. Obszary, gdzie wylesianie nastąpiło najpóźniej. cechują się małym zróżnicowaniem i przewagą obszarów akumu-lacyjnych

Geological and geomorphologic heritage protection in the Silesian province (Southern Poland) – proposed geopark and geosites

В сборнике материалов конференции отражены научно-методические и прикладные результаты научных исследований, анализа, оценки, регулирования, картографического и ГИС-обеспечения современных структурных и региональных сдвигов в мировом хозяйстве, социально-экономической модернизации стран и регионов СНГ в условиях глобализации, инновационных факторов социально-экономического развития регионов Беларуси, демографического развития и социально-демографических рисков стран, современных региональных проблем развития туризма, природно-ресурсного потенциала стран и регионов, геоэкологических аспектов стратегии устойчивого развития. Адресуется преподавателям, научным работникам, студентам и аспирантам вузов, сотрудникам органов управления

Plany zagospodarowania zwałowisk odpadów powęglowych KWK Murcki w Katowicach

The purpose of this paper is to present plans of management of spoil tips of black coal mine "Murcki", located in Katowice. This mine is the oldest active mine in Upper Silesia, established in 1657. As part of efforts to restore areas degraded by industrial activity the project of management of spoil tips in landscape-park-recreation direction was worked out. It was planned to build, among others, ski slopes and lifts, luge tracks, walking paths, pavilons for gastronomy, “monkey gro-ve” for children and later- airport for enthusiasts of model-making. The concept of Recreation and Sport Park "South" was also worked out. Its aim was to reclaim and redevelop two over-level mining waste dumps Murcki and Kostuchna and former settlement tank "Krystyna". In April 2014 it was decided to build the Miners' Golgotha on the spoil tip "Maria" in Murcki. This proposal is the consequence of resignation from previous plans and the beginning of further dumping of mining waste in the neighbourhood of Miner's Golgotha, without financial implications for the Holding

Walory przyrodnicze a zagrożenia środowiska na obszarze Stobrawskiego Parku Krajobrazowego

The paper pre-sents natural values of Stobrawa Landscape Park. The attention was paid to very dense forest cover, unique on a scale of region landscape values of river valleys with well preserved ox-bow lakes, inland dunes covered with pine forests, ponds and wet meadows, the habitat richness and the presence of forms of nature protection. Against this background hazards for the natural environment and ways to eliminate or reduce them were presented

Antropogeniczne formy terenu - wartości estetyczne, rekreacyjne i poznawcze : na przykładzie Wyżyny Śląskiej

The aim of this presentation is to look at anthropogenic landforms located in the Silesian Upland as the worth. These forms, making the essential morphological accent, in many cases are positively perceived and accepted by local population. The author paid the attention to their aesthetic, ecological, recreational, cognitive and educational significance

Procesy eoliczne na starych i nowych obszarach uprzemysłowionych Wyżyny Śląskiej

The paper presents anthropogenically conditioned aeolian processes in old and new industrialised areas in the Silesian Upland. Old industrialised areas include the northern and eastern part of the upland, where in the past mining and metallurgy of silver and lead ores functioned, whereas new industrialized areas occur in the central and eastern part of the upland and they are connected with exploitation of black coal and sand as well as with metallurgy of zinc and lead ores (fig. 1). Human interference consisted mainly in forest cutting for different needs – mining and metallurgy of zinc and lead ores, next building of draining galleries and timber lining, and finally – stowing sand exploitation for black coal mines. Therefore in both cases old and new industrialized areas the development of aeolian processes was anthropogenically conditioned. Human being created advantageous conditions to aeolian processes development, in a natural way giving these areas „desert” character and causing the formation of specific new circulation of sandy material (photo 1)

Human activity and aeolian relief of Starczynów “Desert”, Poland

Starczynów „Desert” is located in the eastern part of the Silesian Upland (southern Poland) and makes a compact area with the occurrence of aeolian sands, which till the 1960s. were intensively blown. Its flat surface is diversified by many dunes of different shapes and sizes. Aeolian coversands are formed here as a cover of changing thickness. The „desert” is not a typical dry climatic area. The term Starczynów „Desert” refers to the area of occurrence of bare sands and aeolian processes and makes a geographical name that can be found on topographic maps. Its development was conditioned by human activity, where since the Middle Ages dense forest areas have been cut to obtain timber for the needs of contemporary mining and metallurgy of lead and silver ores causing the activation of aeolian processes at sandy substratum, built from the Vistulian proluvial-deluvial deposits. In the formation of the aeolian relief of Starczynów „Desert” it is possible to distinguish some stages of intensive wind activity: the 13th-15th centuries, the 16th-17th centuries, the turn of 18th and 19th centuries, the turn of 20th and 21st centuries. In present times human interference in the environment of Starczynów „Desert” consists of fixing sandy areas to protect them from deflation. Human damage exists here in the aeolian relief through terrain levelling and building fire escape roads. In the north–eastern part of the „desert” sand was exploited, therefore a sandpit appeared. This area was subject to the activity of mining for Zn-Pb ores, which caused numerous collapsed cones. In the last few years this part of the „desert” was properly reclaimed

Environmental aspects of relief transformation (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

The geological structure and the occurrence of mineral resources in the Silesian Upland in a significant way influenced the development of industry and caused transformation of every landscape element, among others changes in relief and therefore the formation of anthropogenic landforms. The paper focuses on environmental aspects of relief transformation in the Silesian Upland. The author described aesthetic, geomorphological, hydrological, climatological, pedological and biological aspects on the base of representatives of two groups of landforms– consciously created by human being and being an unintentional effect of human activity (of secondary character). All analysed landforms are new elements in relief, in majority of cases being in disharmony with their neighbourhood. They are alien to the landscape and disturb the equilibrium in the nature. It was proved that they strongly influence water and climatological conditions and soil cover. But sometimes the anthropogenic landforms can be perceived as advantageous for the nature, especially in case of subsidence depressions because of development of aquatic and hydrophilous species and in case of spoil tips due to spontaneous development of vegetation cover. The nature easily adapts to new environmental conditions (process of natural succession and independent introduction of species for new habitats). In these terrains the increase in biodiversity was observed

Rekultywacja Kopalni Surowców Skalnych "Wisła" S.A. w Wiśle jako przykład modelowego "poprawiania" zdegradowanego krajobrazu

The aim of this paper is to present the project of land reclamation of Mine of Rock Materials „Wisła”, located in the buffer zone of the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park. The mine was founded in 1924 year and it has since been active in the exploitation of crushed aggregates built of the Godula sandstone. Following the partial closure of exploitation of this raw materials it is necessary to restore this area in the utility function. In October of 2013 year the reception of area reclaimed towards the forest direction is planned