Position of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology
The Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Kórnik, wishes to draw attention to the highly damaging attempts to politicise the public debate on the condition and the future both of the entire Białowieża Forest and of its commercial parts, which are managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding (the State Forests).
INSTITUTE OF DENDROLOGY
Polish Academy of Sciences
62-035 Kornik, ul. Parkowa 5
Tel: 061 8 170 033
Position of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology,
Polish Academy of Sciences in Kórnik, on the Białowieża Forest Debate
The Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Kórnik, wishes to draw attention to the highly damaging attempts to politicise the public debate on the condition and the future both of the entire Białowieża Forest and of its commercial parts, which are managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding (the State Forests).
The increasing pressure being applied by a variety of organisations and institutions is making it more and more difficult for the administration of the State Forests, which takes full legal responsibility for the conservation and health of the commercial stands in the Białowieża Forest, for the safety of people spending time in the forest (including forest roads and tourist trails) and for the public roads that run through it, to operate in accordance with the law.
Position of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology (PDF).
The future of the Białowieża Forest requires considered decisions that are in accordance with the law and based on the substantive issues only. For this reason, respect for both the Forest Act, by which the State Forests is bound, and the Nature Conservation Act, must be the foundation of all activity in the Białowieża Forest.
In accordance with the law, passive protection of the natural resources of the Białowieża Forest is practised in the Białowieża National Park and over a substantial part of the nature reserves. The Forest Act, however, requires the three Forest Districts of the Białowieża Forest (Hajnowka, Browsk, and Białowieża) to conduct active protection of forest resources, in respect of which foresters have a statutory obligation to follow the assigned principles and aims of long-term sustainable forest management.
Only by maintaining a proper balance between the tasks of strict protection in passive form, and active protection undertaken through management measures grounded in fact and in accordance with the law, can the ongoing degradation of the ecosystems of the entire Białowieża Forest be halted and the conservation and proper functioning of this unique natural resource be ensured.
Chair of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Dendrology
Polish Academy of Sciences
Professor Małgorzata Mańka, corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Kórnik, 4 April 2016
