In Poland, a Battle for the Fate of Europe's Last Ancient Forest
Last edited Fri Jul 21, 2017, 11:32 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: New York Times
In Poland, a Battle for the Fate of Europe’s Last Ancient Forest
By JOANNA BERENDT JULY 11, 2017
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The Bialowieza Forest, a United Nations World Heritage site, has been a battleground for more than a year between Poland’s conservative government and dozens of scientists and environmental advocates. Polish officials argue that logging protects the forest from a violent infestation of bark beetles. Logging is also an important source of jobs for local residents.
“They want to destroy the forest,” said Mariusz Agiejczyk, a deputy forest district manager here, watching the protesters from afar in the early morning mist. He said the infestation had killed 10,000 acres of forest. “If it weren’t for those so-called ecologists, we could have saved it.”
But the protesters, backed by environmentalists, say all invasive operations in the primeval forest endanger its ecosystem. They are supported by the European Union, whose executive branch has warned the government that if it does not stop the logging, it will be sued by the European Court of Justice on accusations of violating the bloc’s rules on environmental protection.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco, is on their side, too. Last week, during a meeting in Krakow, the delegates adopted a decision in which they urged Polish government to halt logging in the forest, especially in old-growth tree stands. Unesco is also considering adding the forest to the List of World Heritage in Danger, a move usually reserved for land and properties threatened by armed conflicts and natural disasters.
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/world/europe/poland-bialowieza-forest-logging.html
