The chronicle of destruction of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Relic Forest after the celebration of the 600th anniversary of its nature protection, 2010
2010
- [new] Destruction of the elite relic forest to construct an nursery garden, 2010
- [new] Intensive, unsustainable logging in Belovezhskaya Pushcha’s primeval forest, 2010
The chronicle of changes in Belovezhskaya Pushcha at the turn of the 600th anniversary of its nature protection, 2009
In 2007, the President signed a decree on celebration of the 600th anniversary of the establishing of the reserve status in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, and UNESCO entered this date into a List of Memorable Dates (the issue of the first nature protection statements in Europe). The government drewn up a plan of actions on preparation for the celebration and financed it with the sum equivalent to about $ 30 million.
What is positive done in Belovezhskaya Pushcha to this significant historical event? What negative is to remain and to pass into the future through this historical milestone? Will Belovezhskaya Pushcha get a true reserve status, really conserved and spiritually "white" or pseudo-protection and "black" spirituality will remain here after the epoch-making event?
In the table below, we are demonstrating photo-facts and are making descriptions, so in this way we will show during the late 2009 to early 2010's (step by step as the materials will become ready) the positive and negative changes in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the National Park and the transformation which occurred in connection with the preparation and the commemoration of the 600th anniversary of nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. We will also show the negative legacy and challenges which the management of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the administration of the National Park came to celebrate with and which pass in the newest history of Belovezhskaya Pushcha to remain unresolved.
For convenience of readers, the left-hand column of the table reflects the positive effects and changes, while the right-hand column gives entirely or largely negative ones. The cases which are both partly positive and partly negative are placed in two columns incorporated into one line.
(September, 2009)
Outcomes and general conclusions (analyses)
- [new] Outcomes and general conclusions: a stocktaking on the 600th anniversary of wildlife protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and a future forecast, May 5, 2010
Celebration of the 600th anniversary of nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 3, 2009)
- Final preparations in the village of Kamenyuki on the eve of the 600th anniversary of nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 2, 2009)
- Final preparations in the administrative and tourist center of the National Park on the eve of the celebration of the 600th anniversary of nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 2, 2009)
Celebrating the 600th anniversary of nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 3, 2009)- Fireworks in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 3, 2009)
2006 - 2009
- Movie: SOS: Management in the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha", (2008), in Russian
The chronicle of destruction of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Relic Forest
This section presents a modern history of destruction of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Relic Forest. Numerous facts and proofs testify infringements of the legislation on nature protection in Belarus and international conventions by the administration of Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, the ignoring the science of wild life and ecological patterns, the execution of irrational economical activities as well as economic adventurism in a few cases.
On Special Protected Natural Territories (SPNT), to which Belovezhskaya Pushcha belongs, all activity should be directed to preservation of biodiversity and sustainable development of a unique natural complex. On such territories restricted economic activities are allowed. Such activities can be characterized basically as traditional kind of works being carried out in the forest, for example clearing of dead in limited volumes, haymaking, selection of wild animals, maintenance of personal patches of farmland and roads and a few other activities, which have been conducted during long periods with the territory of the forest and did not damage the natural character of the forest.
All economic activities applied in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha should be conducted according to the Law of the Republic of Belarus «About special protected natural territories and objects», to the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park Statute Regulation (which, however, has not been set up yet since the erection of the National Park more than ten years ago) and to the forest inventory plan for the auditing period. It should be based as well on the advanced knowledge, developments and achievements in science of wild life. The methods of management should be «soft» and sparing the forests values, which means that measures should be aimed at decreasing negative influences and at maintaining the ecological balance in natural complexes, while they should not have negative consequences for nature and biodiversity on SPNT. According to the modern concept of conservation and sustainable development of SPNT it is necessary to take into account interests of the local population also.
Further on, on separate pages the evidences are shown and the descriptions of committed infringements are given. The ecological offences, infringements of clauses of legislation, and legal responsibility are specified. References to the legal documents are given. The management acts applied to the forest which are in disharmony with its preservation are shown by photos as well.
The separate and commented photos and materials which fund the observations are repeated on some pages. This is done in this way because some photos demonstrate several infringements at a time. For this reason it was necessary to repeat certain descriptions of events on a number of pages.
THE NATIVE LAND MUST KNOW ITS "HEROES"
THESE PEOPLE have brought the GREATEST CONTRIBUTION to destroy the reserved primeval forest of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
2006 - 2008
Low effective wood processing
- Non-effective wood processing (2006 - 2007), continuation
- Rotten and thrown out bolt timber and planks before prepared for sale (2006 – 2007)
- Rotten round wood of the best quality in the past to stoke fire-boxes of the local village bath-house (2006)
- Wood processing factories around Belovezhskaya Pushcha (2006), continuation
- An example of the well-working (private) sawmill (2006)
2007
- The destroyed and then blow up house of culture in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, 2006 - 2007
- A new travel to Belovezhskaya Pushcha (May of 2007)
2005
Wood cutting and forest management
- Cutting down living Ash trees of old age in protected compartments, 2005
- Felling of big old-aged Spruce trees as traps for Bark beetle, 2005
- Artificial planting at sites on which the relic forest was cut down, 2004 (continuation)
Pollution
- Application of chemical poison in a forest nursery (2005)
- Pollution of Belovezhskaya Pushcha: dumping rubbish and sawdust of a timber processing plant, 2005, the village of Kamenyuki, continuation
- Rubbish around the tourist center of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, 2005, the village of Kamenyuki, continuation
- Pollution of Belovezhskaya Pushcha with rubbish, 2005, the village of Belaya
Human activity
- Rotten timber wood left to lie in the forest (2005), continuation
- Low effective wood processing (2005), continuation
- Wood export (2005), continuation
- Destruction of fences in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, 2005
Culture and life
To be continued.
2004
- Felling of living Pines of old age in protected compartments (2004), continuation
- Cutting down Scientific Permanent Plots for forest monitoring (2004), continuation
- Large-scale cutting of the reserved forest (2004), continuation
- Artificial planting at sites on which the relic forest was cut down, 2004 (continuation)
- Setting up a forest nursery and the annihilation of rare plants
- Making forest look "good" or disappearance of rare plants
- National Park shows its anti-ecological ways to tourists
- Pollution of Belovezhskaya Pushcha: dumping rubbish and sawdust
- Pollution of the protected forest by oil products and by drain effluent
- Rotten timber wood left to lie in the forest (2004), continuation
- Low effective wood processing (2004), continuation
- Wood export
- Wood processing factories around Belovezhskaya Pushcha (2004), continuation
- Moonshine vodka production in the protected quarters
- The residence of Santa Clause: the violation of legislation and ecology-planning
- Empty ecological paths
- Creation of a parking in the felling site of living Alder forest of old age (2002-2004), continuation
- Liquidation of the office building and eviction of the scientific department from the laboratories (2003-2004)
- Christmas trees' market
- The "Taliban" movement and oppression of local people
2003
- Large-scale cutting of forest infected by Bark beetle, continuation
- Cutting down Scientific Permanent Plots for forest monitoring, continuation
- Artificial planting at sites on which the "primeval" forest was cleared
- Cutting down of living old-age pines in protected compartments, continuation
- Hundred thousand cubic meters of wood rotting on the forests' ground
- Low effective wood processing
- Wood processing factories around Belovezhskaya Pushcha
- Scorching dry grass vegetation
- A journalist of the newspaper "The Komsomol Truth in Belarus" became an eyewitness of illegal felling of the living forest
- Adaptation of the hydrological situation within the territory of the National Park
- The director's house
- Fire in a young forest
- Tourist complex and the destruction of ancient traditions of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
2001-2002
- Felling living forest close to a trade site
- Sanitary clear cutting stands of Spruce as a simulation of the struggle with Bark beetle
- Felling of giant living Spruces as traps for Bark beetle
- Forest fire
- Felling living Alder forest of old age
- Continuation of felling living stands of Spruce
- Felling of living Oaks
- Felling of living Pines of old age
- Felling of living coniferous forest of old age
- Felling of scientific permanent plots set up for monitoring of the forest
- Intensive cuttings in forest stands infected by Bark beetle
- Rotten timber wood left to lie in the forest
- Timber-processing industry
- Hurricane