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.
The paper refers to the contemporary sensitivity of a ribbon flow-through lake to changeable meteorological conditions (precipitation, evaporation). We checked whether the lake morphology can affect the abrupt changes in hydrological conditions under which environmental changes occur. We analyzed changes in the level and extent of the water table in relation to morphological thresholds of a Charzykowskie Lake. Changes in the lake water level were disproportionate in relation to small changes in the volume of water involved in the exchange. During 55 years of observations, the lake water level did not exceed the threshold values of sensitivity to shortage or surplus stress.
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