Activists protest against logging in Białowieża

Environmental campaigners chained themselves to equipment in ancient Bialowieża Forest in protest against the government-backed logging in the UNESCO World Heritage site. “Foresters have crossed a red line, they are devastating Poland's biggest natural treasure for the sake of profits. We will not be looking on passively,” said Robert Cyglicki from Greenpeace. Government officials called the protests “political” and claim that logging is necessary to protect the forest from beetles. According to protesters, the loggers have moved into the oldest part of the forest, Europe's last primeval woodland, and are threatening the local ecosystems. The quote of harvested wood has been tripled in recent months. The European Commission asked Poland in April to explain its decision and threatened legal action if it received no satisfactory reply within a month.