Ochrona dziedzictwa przyrody na przykładzie zbiorów paleontologicznych z doliny Świśliny

The palaeonthological collections (220 tons) from the valley of the Świślina, amassed by the author, became a testing field for the state of the protection of natural monuments in Poland at the turn of the century. Legally, such monuments are considered cultural property. Recently, we have witnessed the emergence of new trends in their protection. On the one hand, interest in economic and tourist values has been shown by county self-governments, while on the other hand local communities have disclosed great concern for natural heritage and its exploitation for the promotion of the region. Events on the Świślina have rendered aware the newly established county authorities that their tasks involve care for the cultural and economic development of all communes comprising the county, and that shifting monuments from those communes to the seat of the county authorities results in alienation from the natural environment and the loss of tourist attraction. At the same time, it became apparent that self-government authorities are unprepared to embark upon conservation efforts, and th a t the transference of such tasks to the self-government requires extremely thorough deliberations and supervision, since it could lead to the devastation of the monuments.