Location
The Czarna Orawa river is a tributary of Jezioro Orawskie (the Orawa Lake) - an artificial reservoir located in Slovakia - and the Wag, which catchment area is the Black Sea. The Czarna Orawa flows through Kotlina Orawsko-Podhalanska which administratively belongs to Lesser Poland voivodship.

The Czarna Orawa starts from a junction of the Orawka river and Bukowinski Potok (the Bukowina Stream). In the past, before Jezioro Orawskie was created, Czarna Orawa (black Orawa) used to flow into Biala Orawa (White Orawa) in Slovakia, thus starting the Orawa river. Czarna Orawa flows across the areas of diverse landscape.

Fauna and Flora
Czarna Orawa is a valuable river because of natural refuge of Danube salmon - a predatory fish. Back in the 1970. waters of Czarna Orawa were one of two natural refuges of this fish species in Poland.

Occurrence of rare and endangered fish species has been recorded in the waters of Czarna Orawa: freshwater sculpin, Kessler's gudgeon, spined loach, brook lamprey, Ukrainian lamprey and rare amphibian from Discoglossidae family - fire-bellied toad, which in Poland is taken under strict protection.

Other valuable element of Czarna Orawa ecosystem are birds and their habitats. There occur an extremely rare species - corn crake, black grouse (continental subspecies) and Montagu's harrier.

Vegetation of the refuge is represented by marsh spruce with alder, brushwood of hoary willow on gravel-banks and gravel heaps of mountain streams (Salici-Myricarietum part - with advantage of willow), and unique stands of rare subAlpine plant species: hydrophilous tall herb fringe of plains and of the montane to Alpine level (Adenostylion alliariae and Convolvuletalia sepium), alluvial willow, poplar, alder and ash forests (Salicetum albo-fragilis, Populetum albae, Alnenion glutinoso-incanae, petrifying springs alder swamp).

Geology and Land Formation
In terms of geology Czarna Orawa basin lies in flysch Carpathia. Soils are built mostly of Carpathian flysch - the Paleogene schists, sandstones, marles and limestones. It is a mountain area with diverse lay of the land. From Podwilk to Jablonka the river meanders among elevations of the Gorce range of Pajaki Wierchu group. Below Jablonki the river flows into the vast Kotlina Orawska, down to Orawskie Jezioro.

Ecosystem
Functioning of Czarna Orawa ecosystem is determined by many factors. One of the most important is hydrologic system which consists of rivers as well as small watercourses. The system is dominated by tributaries of mountain rivers of large inclination and large amplitude of water level fluctuations (depending on a season), which carry well oxygenated waters. That is why the Czarna Orawa is a land of trout and other salmonid fishes.

Most of the Czarna Orawa banks are flat and overgrown with willow scrubs, only in parts they become precipitous. Areas along the river are dominated by farmlands.

Climate of the refuge is typical for submontane areas with large amount of rainfalls (up to 1000 mm per year), undeveloped soils (brown, podzolic). Such ecosystem is sensitive to any kind of interference (pollution of waters, degradation of soils).

Threats
The most serious threat to the ecosystem of Czarna Orawa river is pollution of surface waters with private, industrial and communal sewages. In addition, the river is a collector of rainfall waters which wash away chemical fertilizers from fields and bring them to the river (unfavourable lay of the land of submontane areas). Another important threats may come from improper engineering of river beds as well as development of economic and building infrastructure.

Nature Protection
In order to protect natural values of the refuge - Czarna Orawa  area of protection has been established here. It stretches between a village of Podwilk and the estuary of Lipnica river. Species of fish which occur here are legally protected. There is a protection period, a size limit and a weekly fishing limit set for Danube salmon, as well as total ban on fishing of Ukrainian and brook lamprey. It is also forbidden to catch freshwater sculpin - a fish enlisted in the Polish Red Data Book of Animals.