Prof. Bogdan Jaroszewicz and Dr Katarzyna Nowak from the Białowieża Geobotanical Station of the University of Warsaw and Prof. Michał Żmihorski from the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Białowieża wrote a letter to call for the development of such a method of securing the eastern border of Poland that will minimize the negative impact on biodiversity.
The authors of the letter are pointing out that the issue of securing borders does not only concern the humanitarian crisis and security matters, but also issues related to nature protection.
The Białowieża Forest is entirely a cross-border UNESCO World Heritage Site. Researchers emphasize that the construction of the border wall is a barrier to the migration of both large and small animals, such as lynx, and it may also constitute a threat to the life of animals e.g. birds. A wall on the border may also potentially cause conflicts between the natural world and humans, e.g. the relocation of animal feeding areas from forests to agricultural areas.
