Contact us T +32 (0)2 626 07 20 | info@europeangreens.eu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Flickr

Donate

  • Login to your account
  • User account
  • About Us
    • Organisation
    • People
    • Networks and Working Groups
    • Guidelines
  • Our Positions
    • Positions
    • Resolutions
    • Policy Papers
    • Manifesto
  • Get involved
    • Climate Action
    • European Green Recovery Campaign
    • European Greens Podcast
    • European Ideas Lab
    • The Green Screen
    • Local Councillors' Network
    • Trans-Inclusive Feminist Campaign
  • Member Parties
  • News
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Brand Assets
    • Communications Team
  • Events
Home
  • About Us
  • Our Positions
  • Get involved
  • Member Parties
  • News
  • Events

Thomas Waitz travels to Białowieża primeval forest in Poland

Share
Share on FacebookShare on Twittershare on Linked Inshare on Google Plusshare via email

This week, European Greens co-chair and MEP Thomas Waitz took a trip to Poland to visit the Białowieża forest. As an organic farmer, forester, and beekeeper, the issue of biodiversity is central to his political programme, as well as to that of the European Green Party.

The Białowieża forest is the only primeval low land forest under UNESCO World Heritage protection in the EU and one of the few forests in the continent housing native European wood bison. Waitz spent the weekend meeting with Polish Greens MP Urszula Zielińska and the party's co-chairs Małgorzata Tracz and Wojciech Kubalewski. They met with journalist Adam Wajrak from Gazeta Wyborcza, who is also a resident of the Białowieża forest. The group also visited different parts of the forest with Adam Bohdan from the Dzika Polska Foundation and Professor Rafał Kowalczyk, a Polish forester and ecologist who is a specialist in the field of animal ecology and is the director of the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

This weekend I am in Białowieża Forest in Poland, meeting local scientists and activists.

Białowieża is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain. Protecting it is critical for EU biodiversity! https://t.co/QfQiDm0kPm

— Thomas Waitz (@thomaswaitz) April 25, 2021

Białowieża forest: a stronghold of biodiversity and part of our shared heritage 

Białowieża forest lies on the border between Poland and Belarus, on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. Covering a total area of 141,885 hectares, it is an immense and a unique area of biodiversity. As a primary forest, it has attained great age without significant disturbance and therefore hosts a wide variety of wildlife. Due to its large and elder trees such as conifers and broadleaved trees, the area also functions as an effective carbon sink. The forest is not only crucial for the preservation of biodiversity; it also constitutes part of our shared heritage on Earth. Due to its significance, it is both an EU Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its deterioration or disappearance would therefore constitute a "harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world."

The European Union has stepped up its ambitions on protecting biodiversity and has committed to ensuring that the 'no harm principle' covers forests. But logging has continued in the area and further cutting is being envisioned as further annexes into the territory have been allowed by the Polish government. Conducting logging activities in ancient growth areas is against EU legislation and immensely detrimental to biodiversity. Existing EU directives on the protection of birds and of natural habitats, as well as the EU's biodiversity package, should mean that the Białowieża forest remains free from logging and any other activities that could disturb this valuable ecosystem.

Białowieża forest has survived thanks to the previous efforts that have been made by local, national and European civil society to protect it over the ages. We must continue to safeguard it from interests that may seek to destroy this vital area for biodiversity conservation. Protecting old-growth forests like the Białowieża forest is a critical part of the Greens' goal towards fighting the climate crisis and safeguarding our planet for future generations. As Thomas Waitz stated during his visit to the forest with MP Urszula Zielińska: "If we take the biodiversity strategy and forest management plan seriously, then this type of forest must be strictly protected."

💬To jest unikatowy obszar różnorodności biologicznej. To unikatowe dziedzictwo nie tylko polskie, ale i europejskie. Jeśli potraktujemy na poważnie strategię różnorodności biologicznej i plan urządzania lasu, to taki typ lasu musi podlegać ścisłej ochronie - @thomaswaitz pic.twitter.com/T79umw6nWm

— Urszula Sara Zielińska 🌻 (@Ula_Zielinska) April 27, 2021

Recent News

Icon:
Title:

Global Greens Congress in Incheon: If there’s a future, it’s green!

Post date:
20 June 2023
Body:

At the 5th Global Greens Congress, Green parties, activists, and policymakers from around the world united to address pressing global challenges. The congress showcased the power of unity and highlighted the importance of global cooperation in tackling the most critical issues of our time, such as the climate crisis, conflicts across the world, a rise in authoritarianism, and democratic deficits.

Icon:
Title:

Europe Day: Europe must go green!

Post date:
09 May 2023
Body:

73 years ago, on 9 May 1950, the Schuman declaration marked the beginning of the most ambitious peace project on the continent, a project aimed at making war in Europe "not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible". Today, we celebrate the peace and unity that we have managed to secure in the European Union over the past decades. 

Icon:
Title:

Building a stronger social Europe: Sara Matthieu talks EU Minimum Income on Labour Day

Post date:
28 April 2023
Body:

At every level, from local governments to the European Parliament, Greens promote legislation that improves working conditions and reduces inequality. In our interview with Green MEP Sara Matthieu we discuss the Minimum Income initiative which aims to ensure that no one in the EU must live below the poverty line.

More News

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Flickr
Tweet Contents:

Young people are underrepresented in both national & the European Parliament. As Greens, we are committed to empowering young people to play an active role in Europe’s political landscape.

Read the full resolution adopted at #EGPCongress 👉 https://t.co/hHPPybVvEP https://t.co/CpohwmMhhU

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
3 months ago
Tweet Contents:

RT @GreensEFA: Our fight to #RestoreNature is still on: Tuesday the ENVI Committee will finish its voting session.

We need the law to pro…

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
3 months ago
Tweet Contents:

RT @GreensEFA: Rainforests are vital for life. We must protect them💚

On #WorldRainforestDay we remind EU & its leaders that the trade deal…

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
3 months ago

Sign up to our newsletter

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Fill in the blank.

Take charge of your future. Donate Green.

Chip in today to help us build a Greener Europe!

Donate

  • Organisation
    • About
    • History
    • Councils
    • Congresses
    • Finance Advisory Board
    • Amendments Committee
    • Conciliation Panel
  • People
    • Committee
    • Team
    • Vacancies
    • Traineeships
  • Networks and Working Groups
    • Networks
      • Balkan
      • Mediterranean
      • Gender
      • tilt!
      • Queer
      • Local Councillors
      • Seniors
      • Disability
    • Working Groups
      • Foreign and Security Policy
      • Future of Europe
      • Trade
  • Guidelines
    • Charter
    • Statutes
    • Rulebook
    • Finances
    • Privacy Policy
  • Our Positions
    • Positions
    • Resolutions
    • Policy Papers
    • Manifesto
  • Member Parties
  • News
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Brand Assets
    • Communications Team
  • Events
  • Campaigns
    • The Green Screen
    • Green Talking Heads
    • Trans-Inclusive Feminist Campaign
    • Climate Action for the People and the Planet
    • European Green Recovery Campaign
  • Donate
Home

Rue du Taciturne 34

B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

T +32 (0) 2 626 07 20

info@europeangreens.eu

© European Greens - With the financial support of the European Parliament. Sole liability remains with the author.

cookies