A young forested river valley reserve protecting a submontane stream and ancient oak-hornbeam forests in West Pomerania.
Dolina Pustynki Nature Reserve
Dolina Pustynki Nature Reserve is a small but ecologically focused protected area in northwestern Poland, located in the gmina of Polanów in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, within the Koszalin County. The reserve protects a stretch of the Pustynka River, a submontane-character tributary of the Grabowa, together with its side tributaries and adjacent valley habitats. Surrounding the clean, fast-flowing stream are well-preserved oak-hornbeam forests (grąd subatlantycki) and fragments of riparian woodland, including willow, poplar, alder, and ash floodplain forests.
Designated at the end of 2024 as part of the Polish State Forests centennial initiative "100 reserves for 100 years of State Forests," the reserve highlights the conservation value of relatively undisturbed lowland river valleys in the Polanów High Plain (Wysoczyzna Polanowska). Its territory partly overlaps the Natura 2000 special area of conservation Dolina Grabowej (PLH320003), reinforcing its regional ecological significance.
Though compact in size, the reserve is notable for its combination of intact riverine habitats, spring-fed slopes, ancient deciduous trees, and rare aquatic and forest flora and fauna. It sits near the older Grabowa River reserve and the Okolice Polanowa Protected Landscape Area, contributing to an interconnected network of protected river valleys in the region.
