The interview with Valery Dranchuk, famous Belarusian oppositional activist working to preserve Belovezhskaya Pushcha

A sawmill in the middle of the Forest (Belovezhskaya Pushcha)

Joanna Chanilo, "Kurier Poranny" (Poland), December 06, 2005

Kurier Hajnowski: You are famous as a Belarusian opposition activist, defending Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Could you tell us about your activity? What was its origination?

Valery Dranchuk: In the beginning of 90-s I began to issue the newspaper "Belovezhskaya Pushcha". This was the first to appear a "green" literature in Belarus. Such the initiative was quite unexpected and the initial idea was to issue a newspaper which could reflect protection and guard our national heritage, both the natural and cultural ones. The initiative was born in times when Mr Shushkevich had authority, a normal parliament kept functioning and no one even thought about appearance of today's political crisis we have. Everyone believed that we, as a civilized society, will join the civilized Europe.

Until 1996 has come....

Yes, all has gone in a different way and Mr Lukashenko has got authority. Then he, together with a new government, began to seek money for their dark plans. The Lukashenko's people came to Belovezhskaya Pushcha and stated that a true gold lies in the mud. Pushcha, beyond any doubts, turned to become an inexhaustible source where various uncontrolled profits are concentrated. Pushcha's woods were under exploitation also in the past, but since that time its exploitation began to grow in a big scale. I faced a dilemma - keep issuing the newspaper or give it up and take the side of authorities? My ambitions prompted me to throw down the gauntlet for authorities. The journalist's task is, first of all, to tell the truth. The newspaper became kind of a green police. That was already clear from its first columns. The longer it proceeded, the stronger it involved. Each outdoor trip meant new acquaintances and new people who considered me as a defender of Pushcha and shared their secrets. There are few such a people however they exist. They also influenced me in getting do not be together with authorities.

Were there any attempts of the authorities to gain the newspaper over their part?

For sure, there were. However the newspaper is still independent, it is issued in Belarusian and is mouthpiece of the great wood.

Parliament, however, is one of ways using which you try to vindicate Pushcha's interests.

Yes, because I consider that independently of kinds of Parliament, it is possible to find the people there who will listen to something and, being close with their conscience, will react correctly regarding some threat. Undoubtedly, some businesses were successful. For example, few years ago an unofficial public organization has been established, of which I am the leader. It is not registered because this case creates fewer difficulties. We managed to create a commission, which was responsible for ecological issues, involving scientists (we prompted whom) who visited Pushcha to check up how local realities are close to its status. Due to their presence some phenomena which did not correspond to the status of natural and protected forest at all have been proved: commercialization, earning thanks to wood fellings, hunting, lack of public access, and hidden financing. Although the conclusions were far of what we wanted, but some things were done.

What is the most important problem in Belovezhskaya Pushcha now?

In my opinion this is commercialization of its goods and services very strongly affecting Pushcha and resulting in its quick destruction. At present a lot of activities carried out by administration of the National Park are actually resulting in degradation of Pushcha. It is suffice to meet a local man and ask him why he has callused hands. This is because of permanent holding of a saw and an axe in hands. The authorities think only about how to extract more cubic meters of wood. To make easy access to the logging places and remove timber out the forest, new asphalt roads are paved in Pushcha all the time. Where there was no asphalt earlier, it is present now. Where no roads were, then they appeared. Where a small pass meandered that put opportunity to only cycle, we see now a large, three-meter width roads.

Are these loggings justified in any way?

Bark beetle is undoubtedly one of the explanations. The authorities say that the wood is sick and it is necessary to treat it. But the authority is not a doctor (!), in contradiction to nature. Recent economic interest has made the bark beetle our enemy because as for nature it is not worse than the human. The man is the one who divides trees into the sick and healthy while as for nature all of them are needed. I did not yet meet any biologist who would say that it is necessary to follow the forester's opinion on this subject. The biologist will always say that the forest will get over its troubles like it did perfectly till now. Unfortunately the authorities are not interested in biological or aesthetic issues but only in obtaining of profit. There is a place for such an approach to the forest, but only in the places, where one planted trees fifty years ago but not in protected territory!

Simultaneously with increasing exploitation, the official media distribute a myth all around about the primordial and untouched Pushcha. The main ÒV channel now produces a film concerning this topic. Journalists of a type of poorly realizing patriots spread around this myth. They think that if they will write nice things about Pushcha they will help it. But the stronger the myth functions in human consciousness, the more cynical are mechanisms of exploitation. It is necessary, unfortunately, to say that this myth operates very well. An ordinary Belarusian thinks that Pushcha is untouched. The village of Kamenyuki, an area similar to Polish Bialowieza, is a good example of such "inviolability" and "primordial" conditions. It is impossible to deeply sleep there because of unpleasant sound of operating sawmill which muffles the forest silence. But the myth, certainly, is functioning and diverts attention from the Pushcha's illness.

What is now the situation concerning huntings in Pushcha?

Unfortunately, I have no exact information regarding it however this is one of the main factors of Pushcha’s commercialization. The people who support this kind of activities say "culling is needed for some species which are too numerous". In response to them I ask "Maybe the best solution is to resettle these animals to another places? There are ways which do not require killing". However it is not simple because hunting is a rich source of money. For example, each bison costs about 1000 dollars. According to papers, ten specimens are killed every year however my right is to admit that the actual figure is much more. It means that it is necessary to do nothing while money comes in own way.

An ancient soviet way of earning “hard currencies” is also still practiced. Tourists from Germany, Italy and other countries are invited to hunt in Belarusian protected woods, for comparatively low price for them. There is always something to be hunted in Pushcha! Our authorities, focusing their sight on top-manager seats, are not interested in what are these people. They also invite to hunt casual, unskilled hunters. In short I would characterize it as wild people are wild hunting. This is not love towards nature.

You have mentioned tourism, better to say about its specific kind. However it would be desirable that you focus on this topic further and in a broad sense. Please, tell what is the general politics of the Belarusian authorities in respect of tourism and what is this problem in the area of Belovezhskaya Pushcha?

Mr Lukashenko issued a decree to increase ten times a flow of the foreign tourists through the Republic of Belarus. In this frame, he made a basic focus on national parks, first of all on Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The reason is the same as in other cases – income generation to satisfy own interests. Money obtained from tourism serve for strengthening his power while there is no order in this branch. Our managers who service tourists do not want to work and learn. There is no school on tourism, as well as no any researches… It is actually unclear what kind of tourists should be oriented on.

As to Pushcha, it looks most often in the following way: tourists come there, buy tickets and observe fenced animals. Then they go to a so-called residence of the Grandfather Frost situated, by the way, in a place where the last bison was lost. The newly brought to light show is made within a big area where a museum of bison should be created. This is just vandalism. Probably, this is the answer on the question of what kind of tourists the authorities want to have there…? Recently, however, a new, very sad and embarrassing ritual appeared as well. The visitors stop near a bison monument and then, no matter of women or men, they kiss his genitals. For this purpose even some justification was invented...

The other place where tourists make stop is a residence Viskuly, where the Soviet Union was canceled. I had an opportunity to be an eyewitness when a guide explained the people in that place, that the silly and malicious people: Shushkevich, Kravchuk and Eltsin – were assembled once there and disorganized something what was good. But the fact is to note that the guide accompanied the excursion consisted of the nomenclature workers. If western tourists are participants, probably, there are no such comments. Nevertheless, the guides who serve in Pushcha should tell the people about life and beauty of this place, that we should appreciate the wood just because it exists, and should also impart humanitarian values. Tourism could bring benefit for Pushcha, but only when it will be organized in a proper way and will prove itself as a tool of protection and education, instead of mockery and destruction. Such kind of tourism is absent and nothing indicates its appearance. The only purpose is to get profit at the expense of nature.

The things, you are talking about, are not optimistic. Moreover, a few months ago the Polish top politics together with the region governments opened a Polish-Belarusian frontier crossing. During the presentation the public was assured, by the way, about a positive attitude of the Belarusian authorities to the idea to improve cooperation … It is also repeated every time that everyone can freely move on the Belarusian side of Pushcha, and that this frontier crossing will exclusively serve the pedestrians and bicyclists. This information continues to be further distributed, even contrary to experience of those tourists who faced completely another reality.

Excursions for the pedestrians and bicyclists in Pushcha..... Perhaps they were earlier there but at present they are absent on the Belarusian side. The authorities do not want to let the tourists be free of "short lead" because those can see all what should not be in Pushcha - stumps, a lot of dust, felling sites and glade spots instead of forest. It suffices to make a couple of steps aside from a road to see them.

Maybe there are some exclusions when the tourists are released to go free, but this is not the typical phenomenon. The usual and most often practice is to put them into a bus and carry along a standard route. The only problem is that this route, in my opinion, is completely uninteresting. A true nature is not shown on the Belarusian side, although even within this damaged Pushcha it is possible to make very interesting excursion - to say about damage including the recent one and educate in this way. This is because tourism in the National Park should, first of all, be based on education.

You are for the first time in the Polish part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. What is the purpose of your visit?

Economic interests, and also bureaucracy lead to globalization and consolidation. I think that those who defend other, non-material values should be eventually also involved in the consolidation process. I had already contacts with various world organizations in the past to make widely known what is going on in Pushcha because this is a World Heritage Site. I am here with the purpose to get in touch with Polish organizations interested in preservation of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Before this time we worked in a parallel way, however success can be easer achieved if cooperation is set. Thus, I made the acquaintance of Janusz Korbel and Association for Landscape Protection. During our conversation even some paradox occurred. It proved to be that, for instance, we were not familiar with each other but at the same time we struggled for the same. We represent two countries. However we should look in one direction to preserve Pushcha. We agreed with Janusz upon all things what I am now talking about.

Have any ideas been born concerning the common work?

Lots of ideas appeared but I will not say about all of them yet. Probably, we will begin to issue a joint newspaper, Polish-Belarusian, devoted to issues of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. It should play informative and educative role, defend the law in Pushcha and be against its exploitation and under the motto "There in only one common Pushcha! Pushcha is common but not for commerce! Not for the fans of beer! Not for political speculators! The common to be saved!"

You traveled much and observed national parks and their surroundings - in USA and Great Britain. Do western countries have anything specific to be adopted and transferred to our lands?

One of such travels happened this spring. I visited a green organization in the United States. I wanted to see how they work, what are their problems, what are conditions of their society and nature... According to the principle - to see someone's problems means more deeply understand own ones. First of all, I would like to say that we lose much by saying that money rule over all there. It is not true. America is aware of how many mistakes were done and it quite consciously protects green landscapes. Probably, I would transfer understanding from there on that the nature needs to be saved. And also consciousness of the people, for example, such an approach as if they come in a wood, this is not to see a hare because the animal gets stress. Let it be hidden before my coming. I must go this way because I am the human. I do not want to see it at all. I satisfied already by the fact that I saw it earlier in an album or cinema. The same respect concerns to bison - let us have enough understanding the fact that its free-living home is here. This is the perfect attitude of wise and educated human. We are poor of having no such the school. How far we are from this awareness I witnessed during my bus travel from Hajnowka to Bialowieza. I had in it a conversation with some woman. She had asked me what for I came here and after I answered about my interest in local movement to protect nature, I heard approximately like "We are not pleased with ecology here". Then she recollected a minister who was even thrown over by eggs. It shows obviously that politics are wrong here.

Can the human, in your opinion, live without nature?

I think it is impossible and if it does not surround his, probably, he will strive to reach it. However it does not mean that it is necessary to go and trample down reserved areas. He should, first of all, create nature himself around. How? I can answer. I inherited a farm from the parents. This is quite large patch of land. I try to avoid any interference as far as possible, for example do not apply mechanical devices, only cut down a bit by scythe from time to time. I observe how nature regenerates. Trees grow. Hares and dozens of birds live there. Someone could say that not everyone has such the opportunity - but it is wrong. All depends on desire. Any little patch can always be found on behalf of nature.

What would you like to say to our readers to sum up the conversation?

Let's live Belovezhskaya Pushcha and nature in peace and it will cure itself of illness, which now torments it.

Thanks for conversation.

The interview by Joanna CHANILO

The personal data:
 Valery Dranchuk, birth-year 1951. Journalist, poet, artist. He taught in the department of journalism. In 1995 he has founded the author's newspaper "Belovezhskaya Pushcha", the first ecological newspaper in Belarus. He is an author of various civil initiatives to protect Belovezhskaya Pushcha. In 1999 and 2001, he was a winner of the Henry Ford's award for the activity to protect a natural and cultural heritage. Since 2001 he is a leader of the Civil Ecological Initiative "Terra-Convention". In 2002 he initiated a letter "Appeal to the European Council and UNESCO regarding protection of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. In 2003 he was a reporter of the Belarusian section of Radio "Liberty Life". He is a winner of the award of the Belarusian Pen Club.