More than 11,000 people have signed a petition by the scientific community urging the Polish Council of Ministers to establish a Kashubian National Park. This designation would provide additional protection to the Mirachowskie Forests, a unique postglacial area. This region's humid and cool microclimate is becoming increasingly valuable in light of desertification and hydrological drought, which are consequences of the ongoing climate crisis.

Scientists appeal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk's "local patriotism" in their petition. In a statement to trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl, Dr. Maciej Przewoźniak said, "We appeal to the patriotism of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who identifies as a Kashubian. Modern patriotism involves protecting the foundation of our existence—nature." He added, "As a self-proclaimed Kashubian patriot, Donald Tusk should logically support this initiative. Whether he will remains to be seen, as he is, after all, a politician."

The areas that naturalists wish to protect are primarily located within the Kashubian Landscape Park. This includes nine nature reserves, and combining them into one protected area would ensure the preservation of the entire unique ecosystem of the region. In their appeal to the Council of Ministers, scientists emphasised that the current protection measures are merely declarative. They also highlighted that over-intensive forest management has destroyed many valuable habitats in recent years.

The Mirachowskie Forests are home to unique species of plants and fungi. Lichens that are extremely sensitive to air pollution can also be found there, as can numerous peat swamps, which prevent the soil from drying out. The European Union recently passed a Nature Restoration Law, which highlights the special role of peat swamps and will also apply in Poland.

The petition authors emphasise that only a national park "can significantly slow down and ultimately exclude the increasing economic (mainly forestry and agriculture) and investment (mainly settlement) pressures on the area." The petition to the Council of Ministers can be signed here.

National parks are Poland's highest form of nature protection. According to the Act on Environmental Protection, a national park is established to preserve biological diversity, resources, formations, and components of inanimate nature and landscape values and to restore the proper condition of resources and components of nature and habitats. Currently, there are 23 such areas in the country.