Monday, August 21, 2017

Poland's Primeval Forest to Loose Protection

UK's Guardian newspaper tells us that Poland's conservative government wants the Bialowieza Forest which straddles the border with Belarus to loose its UNESCO World Heritage status since it was granted illegally.  Poland's environment minister has called for the protection to be stripped so logging can continue in the forest.  The forest is one of the last surviving remnants of the primeval forest that covered most of the European continent ten thousand years ago. It is home to many unique life forms including the European bison (Bison bonasus) [photo].   Some of the large oaks (Quercus robur) in the forest are about half a century old.

circa 1955
The forest was protected early in its human history as a private hunting ground for the Polish King.  Sigismund I issued a decree in 1538 imposing the death penalty for poaching a royal bison.  In 1639, all peasants living in the forest were freed from taxes in exchange for their service as royal foresters.  Bialowieza, which takes its name from the central village, remained mostly uninhabited until the late 17th century.  When Russia occupied the area after the Partition of Poland, hunting took place in earnest.  Tsar Alexander II ordered the killing of all forest predators in a misguided effort to protect remaining bison. World wars in Europe also took a heavy toll on the forest. The last bison was shot in 1921.  The core of the forest was declared a national park in 1923 and a small herd of bison, also called wizant, was reintroduced.  They successfully reproduced.  Today, there are about 800 of Europe's biggest land mammal living in Bialowieza.
bison cave art @ Altamira, Spain
Since most of the forest lies outside the boundaries of the national park, logging has continued since the Middle Ages.  Foresters argue that managed logging is necessary to control pests, remove dead wood that poses a fire risk, and allow reestablishment of forest in less time than nature alone would take.  Environmentalists say the ancient forest cannot be managed as a renewable resource if it, and the unique creatures that make it their home are to survive.  Greenpeace activists chained themselves to woodcutting equipment in an attempt to stop logging.  The current Polish minister for the environment wants to triple the amount of logging taking place. (6.6 million ft³).  The increased activity began in May of last year.  He says that the entire forest is not pristine and ancient, but has in fact been replanted by man over the centuries in areas not originally forest.  He wants the designation, which was granted without consultation with local people in 2011, to be changed to allow for mixed use.

The dispute arises before the annual meeting of UNESCO in Krakow.  UNESCO has previously expressed concern over the logging of Bialowieza, and the European Commission said in April it could take legal action to halt the logging.