Area

name: OSTOJA WIGIERSKA
code: PLH200004
area: 16072,1 ha

"Ostoja Wigierska” is a Site of Community Importance - SCI, located in the northern part of Augustów Primeval Forest. This area includes Wigry National Park, which is also the Ramsar Convention site. Geographically, it is located within the Lithuanian Lake District, in the Mazursko-Podlaski Region, and shaped by the Scandinavian glacier, which retreated about 12000 years ago. It includes:

• Wigry lake and a group of 41 smaller lakes, including characteristic small, mid-forest, dystrophic water bodies
• woodland surroundings of the Wigry lake (part of the Augustów Primeval Forest)
• agricultural areas,
• rivers flowing in its natural riverbed, and a part of the Czarna Hańcza river valley,
• a steep slopes of the front moraine, eskers, kames, and melt depressions completely or partially filled with a peat (occurring in the northern part), and flatter, gritty areas (in the southern part).

“Ostoja Wigierska" has a great diversity of flora and fauna, which results from the varied terrain and the associated large mosaic of habitats. More than 1000 species of vascular plants were found here, among of which 100 species are under strict protection, 7 of them are critically endangered in Poland and 9 are extinct. The animal world is represented by several thousand species, including more than 300 species of vertebrates. A large part of them is under protection. Peat and transition bogs, as well as deciduous and coniferous swamp forests are the most valuable among more than 100 groups of terrestrial and rush vegetation of "Ostoja Wigierska".

The unique natural values of the area which have contributed to the decision of getting the area under protection, deserve all efforts for the maintenance of the good quality of habitats and populations of species that occur on their area. Implementation of the LIFE project “Active protection of endangered species and habitats in the Natura 2000 "Ostoja Wigierska" certainly helps to improve the living conditions of valuable plants and animals and unique habitats.