Kompania Piwowarska with a ECU Sustainability Award distinction for the campaign of Żubr’s Fund established by the Żubr brand
On October 27, during the 2021 European Circular Retail Congress, the ECU Sustainability Award gala took place to recognize companies that introduce sustainability rules into their operations and daily practices. This year, one distinction was awarded to Żubr’s Fund established by the Żubr brand owned by Kompania Piwowarska, for the campaign aimed at repurchasing privately-owned areas of the Biebrza National Park.
– We are very happy with this distinction and would like to thank the ECU Sustainability Award jury for recognizing our campaign. The cooperation between Żubr’s Fund and the Biebrza National Park is the first initiative of that type at the junction of business and environmental protection in Poland. It is a response to the needs and expectations of Poles, who care about saving and protecting wild Polish nature. Żubr will always safeguard it – said Urszula Czerniawska-Kapeluch, Żubr Senior Brand Manager.
The Biebrza National Park is the biggest national park in Poland and one of the last river valleys in Europe that have not been destroyed by people. The wetlands in the Biebrza river valley cumulate about 500 million m³ of water. The swamps cool down the climate, enhance biodiversity, serve as natural air conditioning, and constitute a one-of-a-kind bird habitat admired by entire Europe. About 40% of the area of the park is privately owned, which means that not everywhere nature is duly protected by limiting bothering animals and destroying invaluable species of plants and mushrooms to a minimum, expanding strictly and actively protected areas, preventing the peat fields from drying out, or carrying out monitoring and scientific research. No other park in Poland has a similar ownership situation.
Żubr to the rescue
In August 2021, Żubr’s Fund made a donation to the Biebrza National Park to repurchase privately-owned parcels located within the Park premises, thanks to which it will be expanded with new strictly protected areas.
Prior to the execution of the campaign recognized during this year’s European Circular Retail Congress, Żubr’s Fund had consulted scientists on environmental problems in Poland and conducted an omnibus survey to gain knowledge about the ecological awareness of Poles since the pandemic and their approach towards endangered species and national parks. Three quarters of Polish people support the idea of increasing the number of national parks. The same number of respondents agreed that they protect endangered species, and over 60% claimed that their territory should be expanded. However, national parks constitute merely 1% of the surface area of Poland (the average surface area of national parks in European Union is about 3.4%).
The first parcel repurchased by the Park with the use of the money donated by the Fund is an environmentally invaluable area in Dolistowo Nowe in the Moński County. Spreading over 2.5 ha, the meadows and forest include breeding habitats and feeding areas for many endangered bird species. About 300 m from the parcel, a greater spotted eagle has built its nest. It is a concentration area for aquatic warblers, corn crakes, common redshanks, cranes and common snipes as well as migratory birds, including whistlers, white-fronted geese, and cranes. The right protection gives these birds a chance to survive.
After having repurchased the first parcel, Żubr’s Fund continues the conversation with the Biebrza National Park about the next ones.
Żubr’s Fund was established in 2019 to rescue and protect nature. This mission is executed in environmentally invaluable regions of Poland, wherever there are any endangered species of animals and plants. All the actions taken by the Fund aimed at protection of nature have a common goal – to retain the most valuable aspects of wild nature and build social awareness around that topic.
More information on the Fund’s activity can be found at: www.funduszzubra.pl
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