A 340 km long stretch of the Bug river valley along the border with Ukraine and Belarus, from Go³êbie village (where the Bug enters Poland) to the mouth of the Krzna tributary. The main tributaries flowing into the Bug along this stretch are (largest first) the Huczwa, We³nianka, Udal, Uherka, W³odawka and Hanna. This stretch is 2-3 km wide, and includes the Husynne storage reservoir on the Udal tributary. The channel of the Bug is deeply incised and has a natural character (no dredging or regulating work has been undertaken), while the relatively flat valley is covered by meadows with variably wet soils, small areas of degraded riverside forest of alder Alnus and willow Salix scrub, and arable land. Oxbow lakes are common. Husynne reservoir (112 ha, 2.5 m deep) is half-overgrown with reedbeds Phragmites and water-soldier Pistia.
Key biodiversity
Other breeding species include Actitis hypoleucos and Alcedo atthis.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The enlargement of border crossings in five places poses a threat˜some important species no longer breed in these places. Since 1997 a project by IUCN and the Lublin Ornithological Society has investigated status, function and threats in the Bug valley, in cooperation with Ukraine on the right bank.
