1. Introduction
The contemporary status of the province of Silesia (Fig. 1) is
primarily the consequence of the presence and extraction of mineral
deposits. The intensive industrialization, mining and urban development
resulted in water conditions, soil and vegetation being
significantly deformed (Helios-Rybicka, 1996). Silesia is the most
radically transformed region of Poland and one of the most radically
transformed areas in Europe. Long-lasting underground extraction of
coal triggered a number of consequences, including subsidence, while
the byproduct material has been deposited in the form of waste coal
piles. Over the last 20 years, at the time of the political and economic
shift that occurred in Silesia, the region has seen a noticeable decrease
in the level of anthropogenic pressure which, nevertheless, still
remains one of the highest in Europe.