Environmental housekeeping ... doing it the Polish way
Chris Wells casts a curious eye over what the world's English-language press is saying about Poland.
We'll bypass the Poland-related news stories from the Middle East this week - which mainly concern the postponement of the Polish forces' full participation following the Najaf atrocity - and head to the U.K., where the Guardian newspaper carried an attention-grabbing story about tree-felling in the Białowieża forest.
This 130,000 hectare forest, which once covered most of the continent, is in the heart of Poland and has a biodiversity comparable to that of the Amazon Basin. However, the Polish government has recently relaxed formerly tight restrictions on logging, and now the forestry companies have moved in, with up to 1.5 million trees estimated to go in the next 10 years.
The Guardian's article examined both sides of the argument, starting with Stefen Jakimuik of the Polish WWF, whose criticism came through loud and clear. He claimed that the loggers' latest advance made the nature reserve look more like a highway, and pointed to the stumps of hacked-down 100-year-old trees, bemoaning the fact that this was done only to make money for the foresters. For the government, the Director of State Forests was equally adamant that the trees had to come down, saying that "extremists" always complain, because that's their job.
The problem centers on a little-known bug called the bark beetle, which is happily chomping its way through the Norwegian-spruce and lime trees, oblivious to the furor it's causing. The government's stated policy is to cut down the trees infested with these beetles because, if left unchecked, the bark beetle will cause many more trees to die. The WWF counters that not only have bark beetles been carrying on like this for thousands of years, but also that scientists have proven that tree-felling doesn't stop them from spreading.
Although 25 percent of the forest is protected as a world heritage site, the Guardian lamented the "crudely-hacked clearings" scarring the outer forest, and claimed that the piercing sound of chainsaws is disturbing the peace. So, if you're looking for somewhere to spend this year's złota jesień (golden autumn), why not visit the home of Europe's last bison; eight species of woodpecker; pygmy owls; lynx; and wolves ... while you still can?
On a lighter note, a special mention has to go to a story wired by the Associated Press. Starting next month, a post-graduate course about Poland's favorite subject, Pope John-Paul II, will be held at the newly-opened Jozef Tischner University in Krakow. The course will focus on the pope's contribution to modern Poland; the Roman Catholic Church; and the world. It will be conducted by professors who are friends of the pope, as well as by his official biographer. They will cover papal views on theology, philosophy, social teaching and his literary works. The university's rector said that the program was not religious in any way, and that they weren't expecting a papal blessing(!). With enrolment setting you back only $450, this has to be the surest way of arming yourself with fluent and suitably pious Polish, and impressing your friends this year!
