<
https://theconversation.com/polands-border-wall-will-cut-europes-oldest-forest-in-half-173735>
"Poland is planning to build a wall along its border with Belarus, primarily to
block migrants fleeing the Middle East and Asia. But the wall would also divide
the vast and ancient Białowieża Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site which
harbours more than 12,000 animal species and includes the largest remnants of
primeval forest that once covered most of lowland Europe.
Frontiers like this are of conservation priority because they often host unique
biodiversity and ecosystems but are increasingly threatened by border
fortification. We are experts in forest ecosystems and two of us combined have
more than three decades of experience working in Białowieża, at the
intersections of forest, plant and bird ecology. In the journal Science, we
recently described how the border wall planned by Poland would jeopardise this
trans-boundary forest.
The core of Białowieża is characterised by old-growth forest rich in dead and
decaying wood on which mosses, lichens, fungi, insects and also many
vertebrates depend. Big animals such as the European bison, boar, lynx and wolf
inhabit the forest on both sides of the border.
A wall would block the movement of these animals, for instance preventing brown
bears from recolonising the Polish side of the forest where they were recently
observed after a long absence. The wall would also risk plant invasions, and
would mean noise and light pollution that will displace wildlife. The influx of
people and vehicles, and already accumulated garbage (mainly plastics) also
pose risks, including disease – we already know that humans can transmit COVID
to wild species, like deer.
Poland’s wall will be 5.5 metres high, solid, with barbed wire at the top, and
will replace a 130 km provisional 2.5m high razor-wire fence built during
summer to autumn 2021. This wall will be high enough to affect low-flying
birds, such as grouse."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
