Stop logging in Bialowieza Primeval Forest during the bird breeding season!

• av: Piotr Marczakiewicz
• mottagare: 

  "Dear Friends,

  Bialowieza Forest is the last lowland primeval forest in the temperate zone. Even in North America there is not any temperate forest with this primeval character in such a good state of conservation. Such forests grew for centuries from the Urals to Ireland and Spain. Nowadays, only about 1400 km2 remain: 800 km2 in Belarus and 600 km2 in Poland. Whereas, the Belarussian part of the forest is entirely protected as a National Park, in Poland only 16% is under protection. Every year it%u2019s cut more than 100 thousand m3 of wood in Polish part of Bialowieza Forest. Recently, logging has taken place even in the natural reserves outside the National Park. Claimed by foresters as strictly necessary to preserve the forest, the truth is that the more we log, the less primeval and natural the forest is. Every tree cut and every tree planted is a catastrophe. This might make sense in a managed forest, but here, it means loosing its primeval character.

  
  Unfortunately, Polish governments have always been very influenced by forester and hunter lobbys (in fact a lot of politicians hunt), and they keep on postponing the issue of Bialowieza Forest protection. For decades, the government has been putting off the creation of a National Park in the whole forest under the argument that it was a decision of the local authorities. However, the government is competent enough to stop logging. Just one signature from the General Director of the State Forest, who is under the Ministry of Environment, would be enough. At least they could stop logging during the breeding season of birds. Bialowieza Forest is inhabited by an incredible large number of white-backed woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, pygmy owl, Tengmalm%u2019s owl, collared flycatcher, red-breasted flycatcher, hazel grouse and the lesser spotted eagle. They deserve not to be disturbed at least from march to the end of august. This is the absolute minimum responsibility we have for the birds living here and for the last of our primeval forests.

  Yours Adam Wajrak"
  
  Let's help to protect the most precious Polish forest. More about Bialowieza Primeval Forest:
  

  http://www.wildeurope.org/attachments/053_Bialowieza%20Primeval%20Forest_IJWDec02.pdf

  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3886
  
  "W Puszczy s%u0142ycha%u0107 pi%u0142y" article in Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper (only in Polish):
  http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,7690607,W_Puszczy_slychac_pily.html
  
  If you'd like to know who is the originator of this petition:
  http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2005/wajrak.html