Lakes sensitivity to climatic stress – a sociological assessment

Lackowska Marta (), Nowicka Barbara (), Bałandin Marta () and Grochowski Mirosław ()
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Lackowska Marta: Department of Local Development and Policy, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw
Nowicka Barbara: Centre for General Hydrological Services, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute (IMGW-PIB)
Bałandin Marta: Centre for General Hydrological Services, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute (IMGW-PIB)
Grochowski Mirosław: Department of Urban Geography and Spatial Organization, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw

Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, 2016, vol. 20, issue 4, 38-47

Abstract: One of the conditions for effective water resources management in protected areas is local decision makers’ knowledge about potential threats caused by climate changes. Our study, conducted in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Tuchola Forest in Poland, analyses the perception of threats by local stakeholders. Their assessments of the sensitivity of four lakes to the extreme weather events are compared with hydrological studies. The survey shows that the lakes’ varying responses to extreme weather conditions is rarely noticed by ordinary observers. Their perception is usually far from the hydrological facts, which indicates a lack of relevant information or a failure in making it widely accessible and understandable. Moreover, it is rather the human impact, not climate change, which is seen as the biggest threat to the lakes. Insufficient environmental knowledge may hinder the effective protection and management of natural resources, due to bad decisions and lack of the local communities’ support for adaptation and mitigation policies.

Keywords: Climate changes; human impact; lake hydrological sensitivity; threats perception; natural resources management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:mgrsod:v:20:y:2016:i:4:p:38-47:n:7

DOI: 10.1515/mgrsd-2016-0025

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