EN
The author's involvement in the development of the protection plans for the Kampinos and Góry Stołowe National Parks inspired his interest in the issues of threats to nature, which can be observed in Polish national parks. The threats to protected ecosystems can be categorised as follows: external threats, including supra-local and local external threats, and internal threats. The main supra-local external threats are usually posed by the long-distance transport of pollutants in the air and in rivers, as well as pest attacks on forests, whereas local external threats are usually caused by factors located in the parks' protecting zones or in the direct vicinity of the zones' external borders. Internal threats were analysed in relation to the size of the protected area, the shape of the park and the length of its boundaries, the ownership structure of the neighbouring land, the land use structure, the size of passive (strict) protection, the park's age, traditions of nature conservation and economic history of the areas under protection.