IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 29/08/2017 - 16:38

Large scale state-sanctioned logging destroying Europe’s last primeval forest.

After years of efforts to limit the scale of logging and increase the amount of protected areas in Białowieża Forest, the current Polish Government has taken a radically different direction. Using the outbreak of the spruce bark beetle as an excuse, intensive logging has begun in pristine parts of the Forest. In the first four months of 2017 over 10 thousand trees have been cut down in parts of the Forest with the oldest, over 100-year-old trees. The recently imposed legal ban on entering major parts of the Forest serves to prevent citizen control of the intensified logging. Białowieża Forest, the last natural forest of European lowlands, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to European bison and thousands other species, is now in danger.
What is done to help?

A camp was set up to stop the devastation of the Forest and advocate for turning it into a national park.
In the last weeks logging was blocked four times by activists chaining themselves to harvesters: heavy-duty tree-felling machines. Citizens’ walks were held, where over 1000 people violated the ban to claim their right to the Forest and to reveal the scale of logging. Media were contacted and joined the protests and walks to keep Polish and international audience informed. However, in order to protect the Forest, efforts should urgently be increased. This is why a camp was set up, a self-organized place, which is a base for continued action, which fosters peaceful resistance and educates about the struggle to protect the Forest. This is why international solidarity is so much needed – because we need mass mobilization to stop the devastation!

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