Gość: big ben
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12.07.03, 11:31
Primeval forest faces death by chainsaw
By Charles Clover in Bialowieza
(Filed: 12/07/2003)
Hundreds of ancient trees have been felled in Bialowieza, Europe's last
fragment of primeval forest, which is supposed to be strictly protected
before Poland joins the European Union next June.
The logging of trees more than 100 years old has been permitted for the past
two months despite objections by Jerzy Popiel, the director of the national
park at the core of the forest, a world heritage site straddling the border
with Belarus.
In a forest that has been compared to primary Amazon rainforest for its
diversity of flora and fauna, The Telegraph saw stumps of newly felled Norway
spruce with rings indicating that they were at least 100 and possibly 250
years old.
The area contains all the major European mammals, with the exception of the
brown bear. It is a refuge for the European bison and also lynx and wolf and
eight out of nine European woodpeckers, including the very rare white-backed
woodpecker.
Yet the new management plan, approved by the Polish government ostensibly to
control the spruce bark beetle, will allow trees to be logged at a faster
rate than at any time in the past 50 years, which conservationists say is in
contravention of EU law.
Stephan Jakimiuk of the conservation organisation WWF said: "We are calling
on citizens of the EU to place pressure on the Polish government to protect
this unique area which is part of the heritage of all Europe."
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