“The half million acres of the Bialowieza Puszcza contain Europe’s last remaining fragment of old-growth, lowland wilderness. Think of the misty, brooding forest that loomed behind your eyelids when, as a child, someone read you the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales”. –Weisman, A. (2008). The world without us. London: Virgin Books.
Situated between Poland and Belarus, on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, the Białowieża Forest is exceptionally rich in biodiversity and home to more forms of life than anywhere else in Europe.
Due to the wealth of natural resources, the forest and its rich wildlife have long been under threat from destructive activities such as logging with huge negative impacts on this unique ecosystem.
The protected area of 141,885 hectares is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the Natura 2000 Network, and is currently being protected by a buffer zone which eliminates ecological disturbances from hunting and sustainable logging for local needs. Local groups such as Workshop for All Beings and its allies have campaigned for decades for an expansion of the protected site.
However, in 2016 the Polish government tripled the logging limits under the pretext of eradicating an outbreak of the bark beetle, leading to thousands of healthy trees being felled within the old-growth part of the forest. The increased logging is in direct contravention with EU conservation law, breaking a moratorium on cutting centennial trees.
Workshop of All Beings received funding from Global Greengrants Fund to increase public awareness of the ecological significance of the Białowieża Forest. The group blocked logging activities, and convened public profiles such as celebrities, artists, and scientists to raise awareness. The logging was condemned by scientists across Europe, and 140,000 people signed petitions for the activities to stop as part of the mounting pressure on the European Commission to hold the Polish government accountable.
In April 2018, the Workshop of All Beings celebrated a major victory. The top EU Court of Justice ruled that Poland had failed to fulfil its obligations, and the increased logging was in violation of EU law.
While this was incredible news for the defenders of Białowieża, the struggle to protect the forest continues – as the Polish government confirmed in mid-May that they will only half comply with the ruling. Activists and NGOs continue to put pressure on the EU to hold Poland accountable, with the immediate aim of Poland to cease logging, and the long-term aim of working towards an expansion of the protected area to include the forest in its entirety.
We stand in solidarity with Workshop for All Beings in their efforts to protect such an ecologically unique part of Europe, as well as the movement of activists across Poland fighting for the Białowieża Forest.