The Milicz Ponds ( pl, Stawy Milickie) are a group of about 285 fish ponds in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, in the valley of the river Barycz, close to the towns of

Milicz Milicz (german: Militsch) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County and of Gmina Milicz, part of the larger Wrocław metropolitan area. Geography The town is situated in the historic Lower ...

and

Żmigród Żmigród (german: Trachenberg) is a town in Trzebnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Żmigród. Geography The town lies in the historic Lower Sile ...

. The ponds cover a total area of about . Due to their importance as a habitat and breeding ground for water birds, the ponds are a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

(established 1963, area ), which is protected under the

Ramsar convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...

(one of 13 such sites in Poland). Since 1996 it has also formed part of the larger protected area known as the

Barycz Valley Landscape Park Barycz Valley Landscape Park (''Park Krajobrazowy Dolina Baryczy'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in south-western Poland. Established in 1996, it covers an area of . The Park is shared between two voivodeships: Lower Silesian Voivodeship ...

References

Lakes of Poland Ramsar sites in Poland Ponds of Europe Lakes of Lower Silesian Voivodeship Fishing in Poland {{LowerSilesian-geo-stub