The appeal of scientists ws. environmental protection and the Bialowieza Forest. Ministry’s response

All the activities of the World Championships are carried out in accordance with European and Polish law,” said ministry spokesman Pawel Mucha, referring to the appeal of deans of natural science faculties of universities, in which they demand m.In. cease interference in the environment.

The addressees of the open letter sent on Monday are the President of Poland, the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Environment. In the letter, the signatories demand that Polish and international law be respected, that the current interference in the natural environment be stopped m.in. Bialowieza Forest and the valleys of Poland’s large rivers, as well as dialogue with those scientists whooers oppose these activities.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Pawel Mucha, referring to the heads of the Activiti system reported to him by PAP, saidopostulateoin the letter said that all activities of the Ministry of Environment are carried out in accordance with the law. – The Ministry of Environment is implementing European law and Polish law,” the spokesman indicated.

At the same time, he added that he invites the signatories of the letter to talk about the Bialowieza Forest, but there, on the spot. – So that on the spot we can talk in the company of the local community, whoora wisely managing, managing and using this facility rationally contributed to the fact that it has survived to our timeow. I would like the discussion about the Bialowieza Forest to be based primarily on documents and on the practical knowledge of forestersow, but it is good that scientists are also joining the debate,” added Mucha.

Open list – signed by 14 deanow and 19 vice deansow – Poland’s largest universitiesoThis is the aftermath of a meeting of this community in early June, organized by the University of Silesia.

– We had such an initiative, however, to supportolnie to respond to issues thatore happening in the environment, nature, nature conservation and present their position (…) This is all the more important to us because we feel a moral responsibility to preserve nature for future generations in an unimpaired state – said during Monday’s conference in Katowice, the deputy dean and spokeswoman of the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection at the University of Silesia, Dr. hab. Edyta Sierka.

She added that this is the first such initiative of the entire dean’s environmentoin the department ofoin natural Polish universitiesow. The letter was signed by scientists m.in. from the University of Warsaw, the Jagiellonian University, the University of Silesia, the Catholic University of Lublin, the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the University of Gdansk, the University of Łoof the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

– Resolutions have been passed in many departments of environmental protection, whichore support this letter, as well as the letters of the employeeow whichoThe people have reacted very positively to such an initiative. It seems to us that this is the high time when we should mown with one voice and demand proper respect for the resourceoin nature, as heritage, whichore we inherited – stressed Sierka.

In the letter, scientists protest "against the ongoing and planned in the near future, far-reaching interference in the valuable ecosystems of our country, including in particular theolarity of the ecosystems of the Białowieża Forest and large Polish rivers". "We are thus expressing our opposition to the implemented policy of resource exploitationoin nature, carried out without taking into account the social and economic costs ofoin the degradation of the natural environment" – we read in the letter.

The signatories also call for dialogue with scientists in the process of making key decisions. – We expect, and would be very grateful if zaron both the President and the Prime Minister, and in particular theoliability Mr. Minister, wished to communicate with the scientific community and use our resultsoin research, our experience, when making strategic decisions when it comes to acquiring resourcesoin nature and its management – moThe initiative, which was presented on Monday by Sierka.

The letter is to be translated into English and distributed to the participants of the 41st. session of the World Heritage Committee, whichora in early July to be held in Krakow. – At the moment, in the working document of the UNESCO Committee, the Bialowieza Forest is listed as an objectoin heritage in jeopardy, so it is indeed a very serious consequence, first of all a blam on the world stage, internationally, if we cause as a country that this object (…) will cease to be on this list – moThe letter was presented at a press conference by Dr. hab. Anna Orczewska from the University of Silesia.

According to the signatories, "economic activities currently being carried out, including the legal acts introduced by the Ministry of Environment, will contribute – through the irreversible devastation of resourcesoin nature – to the impoverishment of society and an increase in the country’s risk of catastrophic phenomena".

– At the moment in Poland we have a policy of ruthless exploitation of resourcesow, such a spectacular example was the act of "Lex Szyszko" and what is happening in the Białowieża Forest – said during the press conference the ecologist prof. Piotr Skubala. He added that if interference in this environment is not stopped, the consequences will be very serious. – Szoste extinction (…) is a global problem of our civilization, of the whole world, but in recent months, years, in our country has acquired some specialolne expression, because such acquiescence to ruthless exploitation, use of resourcesow without looking at future generations, the fate of other people, has taken on some specialolne dimension – emphasized. He also pointed out that "Past practice shows that the voice of scientistsow is unfortunately not listened to in our country".