UNESCO demands that Poland stop logging in Białowieża oldest parts

UNESCO World Heritage Committee “strongly urged Polish authorities to immediately halt all logging and wood extraction in the parts of the Białowieża Forest that are over 100-years-old. Its experts will also visit and evaluate the situation at the site. Moreover, it obliged Poland to submit by the end of next year, a report outlining the plans to protect the forest. In addition, the panel warned it might put the forest on its List of World Heritage in Danger, a step that would open the path for immediate assistance from the World Heritage Fund. Deputy Environment Minister Andrzej Konieczny said Poland would respect the committee's call. Environmentalists called the verdict “a diplomatic and symbolic victory” but are realistic that it won't stop the logging, at least in the parts of the forest that are less than 100-years-old, and said that they will continue to block the heavy equipment from cutting down other trees. The new Polish law allows the state-owned company which manages Polish forests to log in the Białowieża, which was previously prohibited. As a result of this, the quote of harvested wood has been tripled in recent months. Poland's environment minister, Jan Szyszko, claims that cutting down the trees is necessary to protect the forest from woodworms. Back in April, the European Commission asked Poland to explain its actions in the Białowieża Forest.