The new law on nature protection, issued by the Polish Parliament in 1991 autumn, has not evoked much response, lost in a deluge of other laws, and election campaign diverted public attention. It is, nevertheless, a legal act of great importance, pertaining to preservation of reserves indispensable to the survival of the society. This law affecting over 22 per cent of Poland's area (national parks, reserves, landscape, parks, park protective zones and protected landscape areas) met with criticisms regarding details as well as general principles. Ignoring basic changes in Poland, increasing role of local authorities, development of market economy based on private ownership and entrepreneurship met with the strongest objections. The author draws attention to restrictive and bureaucratic nature of the law, but he also makes concrete objections.