- You don’t need to travel to the Amazon to experience the essence of a primeval forest, a new op-ed argues: Poland’s Białowieża Forest harbors the best-preserved fragments of lowland deciduous and mixed forests in the European Lowlands, where natural processes have unfolded undisturbed for more than 12,000 years.
- But the forest’s location on the Polish-Belarusian border, coupled with the ongoing geopolitical crisis and attitudes of populist politicians towards nature conservation, poses a significant threat to its survival.
- The current Polish government has a unique opportunity to place the Białowieża Forest under permanent protection, with consultations now underway regarding an Integrated Management Plan for this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the key question is whether the government will seize this opportunity or bow to commercial interests, again.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
The Białowieża Forest is unparalleled in the world. It harbors the best-preserved fragments of lowland deciduous and mixed forests in the European Lowlands, where natural processes, including all stages of forest ecosystem dynamics, unfold undisturbed by human interference over vast areas. Yet, only 36% of the Białowieża Forest on the Polish side is protected within the Białowieża National Park and its related nature reserves. The rest is managed commercially, underscoring the urgent need to minimize human impact. In light of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, placing the entire Białowieża Forest under permanent protection should be a matter of course.
Conveying the uniqueness of this place cannot be achieved merely by listing species, providing statistics on protected areas, or enumerating natural attractions. Such data is readily available online, yet it pales in comparison to the haunting sound of wolves (Canis lupus lupus), howling at dusk, the swift current of the Narewka River, the rustling of ancient oaks, and the watchful eyes of a pine marten (Martes martes) surveying the forest from a spruce windfall. Here, you can admire the rare three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), the vibrant cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae), and the elusive pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum). To truly feel the primal pulse and witness the captivating beauty of the Białowieża Forest, you must visit.
This forest, embodying the distinct traits of a primeval ecosystem, has existed for 12,000 years. It might not have survived to this day if Polish kings had not placed it under their protection. In modern history, the Białowieża Forest has faced severe challenges due to mass exploitation including during World War I under German occupation, and then in the years of free Poland, when political greed led to extensive devastation.
In 1932, a small portion of the Polish section of the Białowieża Forest (4,700 hectares, which is over 11,600 acres) – out of its total of 56,600 hectares (almost 140,000 acres) – was designated as a national park. In 1979, Białowieża National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 1992, this designation was extended to include the Belarusian part of the forest, creating a unified transboundary site. In 2014, the World Heritage designation was expanded to encompass the entire Polish section.
The Białowieża Forest was included in UNESCO’s list based on two criteria:
- Criterion IX: Outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals.
- Criterion X: Contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
Poland boasts a total of 17 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 15 cultural sites and only two natural sites, namely the primeval beech forests in Bieszczady National Park and the Białowieża Forest itself. The UNESCO designation not only guarantees encounters with invaluable nature but also presents an opportunity for development in a region primarily reliant on tourism. Unfortunately, the UNESCO label alone does not provide lasting protection against logging.
This is why scientists, naturalists, and the vast majority of Polish society are calling for an end to logging in the forest. Saws and harvesters do not protect natural processes and habitats, nor do they contribute to increased biodiversity.
Tragically, three years after the entire Polish section of the UNESCO site was designated, the Białowieża Forest faced devastation in 2017 under the orders of then- Minister of the Environment, Jan Szyszko. Over 200,000 cubic meters (7 million cubic feet) of trees were felled, half of which came from previously protected stands of trees over a century old. The direct and indirect devastation impacted more than 4,000 hectares (almost 10,000 acres) of the forest.
The logging sparked mass protests, drawing people from across Poland and beyond to defend the trees. Local residents also joined the fight against the destruction. Only through the intervention of social organizations and the European Commission was the logging halted. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on April 17, 2018, that the logging was illegal, leading to the withdrawal of harvesters from one of Europe’s most valuable natural areas.
Thanks to the nature protection efforts stemming from a landmark civil lawsuit filed by my organization, the Association Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot (Workshop for All Beings), the forest is now on the path to recovery. This serves as compelling evidence that forest management is unnecessary here. The court-imposed ban on logging the forest’s most valuable sections has been in effect since 2018, but this remains a temporary solution.
A new threat
Just as natural regeneration from the 2017 destruction began, a migration crisis — often referred to as a hybrid war — was instigated by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko on the Polish-Belarusian border in 2021. The forest became a migration corridor for refugees from various countries, prompting the Polish government to erect a barrier that effectively separated the Polish section of the forest from its Belarusian counterpart. This barrier is impassable for medium and large mammals, leading to unprecedented fragmentation of Europe’s most valuable forest. The habitats of wolves, European bison (Bison bonasus), wolves, moose (Alces alces), and lynx (Lynx lynx) have been severely restricted, with scientists particularly concerned about the lynx population. If the fence remains, these, the continent’s largest cats, could vanish from the Białowieża Forest within a few years.
Both logging and the border fence indicate an urgent need for protective measures for the Białowieża Forest; otherwise, it risks being placed on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger, potentially losing its UNESCO status.
It is imperative to place the forest under permanent protection. This year, a draft Integrated Management Plan for this UNESCO World Heritage Site was proposed, significantly minimizing human interference and forest management.
According to a public opinion poll conducted in January 2024, the vast majority of Poles (89%) support protecting the entire area of the Białowieża Forest. Research from June this year confirmed this trend, revealing that 92% of respondents favor safeguarding the entire area of the forest, prioritizing natural processes. Over 80% of residents in the municipalities surrounding the Białowieża Forest share this view.
Only a small minority oppose protection, often manipulated by extreme-right populist politicians seeking to gain political capital. They aim to undermine the progressive forest management plan.
Subsequent UNESCO missions to the Białowieża Forest have highlighted the necessity of creating an Integrated Management Plan for this World Heritage Site. This plan aims to define a clear scope of activities and assess the zoning of the forest concerning permissible interventions.
The draft of such a plan has been meticulously developed since 2022. The initial proposal, commissioned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment during the tenure of the right-wing Law and Justice party, expanded the area where forest management would be permissible. However, intervention by non-governmental organizations led the UNESCO Committee to reject this version of the draft. The following draft of the was created under the current government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and was prepared by the state-run Institute for Environmental Research on behalf of the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
In this iteration, the area where limited forest management would be allowed was reduced, and a total ban on hunting within the boundaries of the Białowieża Forest was proposed. Nevertheless, as NGOs point out, the plan still permits logging in valuable sections of the forest. Naturalists are also calling for a ban on the construction of new roads and the expansion of existing ones in the forest, as such developments not only intensify environmental pressure (e.g., increased animal mortality) but also significantly disrupt the hydrology of the area, raising the risk of fires.
Public consultation on the draft Integrated Management Plan for the World Heritage Site closed on August 18, 2025, with the final decision resting with the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and ultimately with Prime Minister Tusk.
Will the head of the Polish government heed the wishes of the vast majority of Polish society, or will he yield to right-wing populists? Will the Białowieża Forest finally receive the protection it deserves, or will logging continue unabated?
Alan Weiss works with the Workshop for All Beings, a Polish nature protection NGO.
Banner image: The Bialowieza Forest at sunrise. Photo courtesy of Aleksander Bolbot / WWF.
Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: A conversation about nature restoration in Europe and across the planet with Rewilding the World host Ben Goldsmith, listen here:
See related coverage of forests:
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Old forests, new fires, and a scientific standoff over active management
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