The flora of the Karkonosze Mountains is one of the richest and most valuable in the Sudetes, however it has already been significantly transformed by human activity. Giant Mountains, despite the not very impressive height, they have clearly shaped and varied plant layers. Due to the harsh climate, these floors are located even several hundred meters lower than in other high mountains, for example the Tatra Mountains. Mostly the higher the floor, the better the preservation of primeval nature, but this is not entirely true, because it is in the Karkonosze Mountains that the peak and dorsal parts are easily accessible and have already been significantly processed by man; for a long time numerous representatives of synanthropic flora have accompanied human settlements and routes.
Piedmont storey (to a height of approx 500 m n.p.m.) has been practically completely transformed, turned into arable fields and meadows, with only small mixed coppices.
Lower mountain level (to a height of approx 1000 m n.p.m.) formerly they were mixed forests, with a predominance of beech, now mostly replaced by spruce forests. The original fragments of the lower mountain range are best preserved in the area of Chojnik and Szklarki Waterfall (both are protected in the enclaves of the Karkonosze National Park).
Upper mountain forest floor (to a height of approx 1250 m n.p.m.) were dense spruce forests, previously replaced by man-planted spruce trees, often from the seeds of lowland varieties, and therefore not adapted to difficult soil and climatic conditions. This, among other things, became the cause of their easy destruction as a result of an ecological disaster, which occurred in the Western Sudetes at the end of the years 70. and it led to the withering of almost the entire upper montane forest and considerable stretches of the upper forest parts of the lower montane region. For years, the local forests have been exposed to industrial pollution from numerous Czech forests, German and Polish (Turoszów) lignite-fired power plants. The sulfur compounds they emit, in combination with abundant rainfall, give acid rain. Weakened spruce stands fell victim to the massively occurring larch tree index. The larvae of this insect eat young needles, leading to the withering of grown trees. On the upper border of the forest, spruces take a stunted form, often of a flag habit, shaped by the prevailing winds here. They are accompanied by typical mountain species, for example, Carpathian birch, Silesian willow, mountain ash.
The creation of the Forest Gene Bank in Kostrzyca was a response to the ecological disaster of the Sudetes forests, in which the seeds of species characteristic for the Sudeten mountain forests are collected. Launched in 1995 r. the modern facility was built with ecological funds with a significant financial contribution from the World Bank.
Even higher (to approx 1450 m n.p.m.) reaches the mountain pine floor, in which patches of this species of mountain pine and herb predominate- and grasslands, and above it there is only the subalpine floor (halne), dominated by herbaceous species and rock lichens. Besides, it is the herbaceous and shrub vegetation that is the richest in terms of species and among them there is the most typical mountain, protected, and even endemic varieties. Raised bogs with small ponds are also very interesting.
The animal world is more modest, and this is due to the fact, that the Karkonosze Mountains have been penetrated by people for a long time, in the past quite densely populated, and before that, stripped of forests for the needs of industry. That is why large predators have not appeared here for several centuries – only local names are traces of them, for example Bears, Wilcza Poręba, Gawry. There are, however, a lot of deer, wild boars and smaller mammals below. The world of birds is rich, and especially invertebrates, among which there are the most protected and endemic species. Currently, the best preserved areas of the Karkonosze in terms of nature are the strict reserves and the foothills of Lasocki Grzbiet (the Złotna and Srebrnik valleys).
Natural values of the Giant Mountains, so their geological structure, topography with clearly visible elements of glacier relief, the plant and animal worlds have made, that already in 1933 r. The first nature reserves were established there, including post-glacial boilers and many natural monuments, mostly rocks. After 1945 r. some nature reserves were kept, and from 1 January 1959 r. Karkonoski National Park started its activity, whose management and museum are currently located in Jelenia Góra-Sobieszów, at the foot of Chojnik. It covers 5549 ha, including 1717 ha in strict reserves. W 1963 r. Czech Krkonossky National Park with an area was created 38 500 ha, of which approx 7500 ha is located in nature reserves.
However, despite the steps taken, the degradation of the Karkonosze natural environment continued, until the ecological disaster for years 1978-1985. This is why it was, that the main sources of pollution and threats were outside the boundaries of protected areas. Paradoxically, only the economic crisis in Poland and the Czech Republic and the collapse of the GDR had a positive effect on the natural environment, which allowed the situation in the Giant Mountains to be under control. Currently it appears, that the greatest threat to them is posed by the excessively ambitiously planned and implemented ski and sports investments on both sides of the border.