By late March, international experts to assess consequences of Poland-erected barrier in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Experts from the World Heritage Centre (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) plan to assess the consequences of the fence constructed by Poland on the territory of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha – as reported by the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park’s press service

“Experts from the World Heritage Centre (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have already arrived in Poland and are currently on an inspection mission in the Polish part of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha World Heritage Site,” the national park informed. “They meet with representatives of institutions that manage this territory, as well as representatives of various services and departments responsible for these territories, local authorities, etc. The experts will be in Belarus from March 23rd-to 27th. One of the most important goals of the mission will be to study the barrier structure erected by Poland across Belovezhskaya Pushcha and its negative consequences on the ecosystems of the transboundary site.”

The national park’s scientific department added it’s planned to visit the entire territory of the Pushcha, including areas directly adjacent to the fence on the state border. Experts will review the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the previous mission, the quality of site protection and management, as well as the management plan for the area.

The Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Poland was included in the World Heritage List in 1979. As an untouched area of primary forests, it became the fifth natural site in history to be included on this list. Over time, the boundaries of the site expanded: in 1992, after the collapse of the USSR, the Belarusian part of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha was also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, thus forming a transboundary site. In 2014, the boundaries of this site were significantly changed, leading to a considerable increase in its area. At present, the total area of this transboundary site is 142,000 hectares, of which 82,500 are the Belarusian part. The buffer zone covers 166,700 hectares.