Rural areas cover about 60% of Poland. This type of land use area has a significant effect on state of the natural environment in the country. Many areas of exceptional natural values are present within the boundaries of agricultural lands. Poland is the only European country where the small family farms, with unique biodiversity and landscape mosaic are still very common. Those farmlands are also refuges for many rare and endangered species and communities. Agricultural lands make 48% of protected landscape areas, 36% of landscape parks, and 13% of national parks.

Wet meadows, are ecosystems of the highest ecological value among agricultural lands of European lowlands. For the last several years the global tendency towards restoration of these valuable areas has been increasing. Polish wetlands are still relatively well preserved, and all activities for conservation and restoration of their natural values may bring large ecological effects.

Nowadays scientific and research programmes of the Department of Nature Protection in Rural Areas are carried out in the valleys of Biebrza and Narew, and Mazowsze Lowland. We aim to elaborate effective methods for the wetlands protection under the conditions of the sustainable development. Particularly the works of Department focuses on:

• modifications and providing of ecological stability of natural values in agricultural areas, with special respect to wetlands,
• methods of stock-taking and assessment of natural values in rural areas, with respect to requirements of pre-accession period, and foreseen European Union subvention,
• integration of rural activity and environmental protection, with particular respect to the eastern Poland,
• restoration of drained wetlands to the previous state,
• wetlands environmental impact assessment of various investments,
• creation and modification of databases on wetlands, peat deposits and grasslands in Poland.