The European Court of Justice has issued an order to halt deforestation in the ancient forest, but the Polish government is pressing ahead with its felling plan.
The Białowieża forest, the oldest lowland forest in Europe, home to the continent's oldest trees and a rich array of biodiversity, is under threat, as chainsaws fell hundreds of trees every day. In March 2016 Poland authorised large-scale logging in the forest, providing for the felling of 180,000 cubic metres of timber. The plan was approved in an attempt to curb the spread of a pest insect, the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). The European Union, however, fears for the health of the forest — an absolutely unique area and a Unesco World Heritage Site — and believes the insect is merely a pretext for the economic exploitation of the trees; it has therefore decided to oppose the logging plan.
In June of last year, the European Commission, concerned that deforestation could cause "serious and irreparable damage" to the forest, launched infringement proceedings against Poland, but the Polish government, led by the far-right, Eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS), decided to press on regardless. The European Court of Justice therefore issued an interim order — a tool to be used in urgent cases — which should result in the immediate suspension of tree felling in the Białowieża forest. The order will remain in force until the Court of Justice issues a final ruling on the case.
The Polish government appears intent on ignoring the new order as well and proceeding with its logging plan, felling up to a thousand trees a day. As well as risking the destruction of an invaluable natural resource, Poland, in the event of a final ruling against it by the EU, will face fines of around 4.8 million euros, to which a further 300,000 euros for every day of non-compliance will be added.
As the trees of the primeval Białowieża forest are felled one by one, activists from around the world are travelling to Poland to stand against the chainsaws. According to the protesters themselves, their peaceful demonstrations are being violently obstructed by teams of forest rangers sent by the Polish government.
Last Monday in Prague, in the historic Little Square in the old town, more than a hundred people gathered to protest against the deforestation of the Białowieża forest. "It is the most precious forest on the Old Continent and protecting it is undoubtedly a priority for the whole of Europe, not just for Poland," declared Jakub Hruska, a professor at the Czech science academy, during the rally. According to Hruska, the forest is not genuinely threatened by the bark beetle, reinforcing the belief that the Polish government's decision is driven by motivations that are anything but conservationist. "Spruce trees account for only 17 per cent of the trees in the area; even if all the spruces were to die, the forest would live on."