An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland

Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska 2025, vol. 27, pp. 541-552

Agnieszka Czajka¹ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Krystyna Kurowska² 

	1. Koszalin University of Technology, Poland 2. University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

Legal protection of agricultural land is a fundamental element of the State's strategy for nature conservation, food security, and sustainable spatial planning. This article aimed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of legal instruments in protecting agricultural land in Poland. The analysis primarily focused on the provisions of the Act of 3 February 1995 regarding the protection of agricultural and forest land, the relevant planning regulations, and administrative decisions. The evaluation relied on Statistics Poland data for 2003-2024 concerning the area of agricultural land taken out of agricultural production and voivodeships experiencing high development pressure. The analysis revealed that, although Poland has an extensive legal framework for protecting agricultural land, its effectiveness is limited by the liberalization of procedures, the low spatial coverage of zoning plans, and the prioritization of economic goals over environmental objectives. The study's results confirmed that agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural uses should be closely monitored, and that spatial planning policies should be better aligned with soil protection goals.

legal protection, agricultural land, Act on the protection of agricultural and forest land, agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural uses, spatial planning

AMA Style
Czajka A, Kurowska K. An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland. Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska. 2025; 27. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

ACM Style
Czajka, A., Kurowska, K. 2025. An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland. Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska. 27. DOI:https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

ACS Style
Czajka, A.; Kurowska, K. An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska 2025, 27, 541-552. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

APA Style
Czajka, A., Kurowska, K. (2025). An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland. Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska, 27, 541-552. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

ABNT Style
CZAJKA, A.; KUROWSKA, K. An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland. Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska, v. 27, p. 541-552, 2025. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

Chicago Style
Czajka, Agnieszka, Kurowska, Krystyna. 2025. "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland". Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska 27, 541-552. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

Harvard Style
Czajka, A., Kurowska, K. (2025) "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland", Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska, 27, pp. 541-552. doi:https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044

IEEE Style
A. Czajka, K. Kurowska, "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Legal Instruments for the Protection of Agricultural Land in Poland", RoczOchrSrod, vol 27, pp. 541-552. https://doi.org/10.54740/ros.2025.044