Disputes over the protected area. Social and political aspects of nature conservation and environmental pollution in Świder Nature Reserve

Abstract: The research is situated in the area of Otwock county in central Poland. It is located nearby the river Świder which is protected by a nature reserve. However, environmental protection laws are not fully respected as there is a recurring problem of waste disposal taking place in forests and river. Fly-tipping in the Świder Nature Reserve is a social and administrational problem. On the one hand, it is tolerated by the society, and on the other, the personnel of the municipality seems to be unable or unwilling to face the problem. Another issue is the sewage plant that the town of Józefów intends to build nearby the river. Environmentalists claim that it might pose a threat to the Reserve’s ecosystem and its cultural values for the local community, but their arguments cannot get through in the politicized dispute between municipalities and NGOs. Using the method of participatory observation and interviews, I looked deeper into the issues around the Reserve and focused on the social and political factors that impede its conservation. For the conceptual framework of the research I refer to the theory of “the Tragedy of Commons”.