Save Belovezhskaya Pushcha - unique European forest

Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarusian Bialowieza Forest, is a beautiful place of wildlife, the Europe's last remnant of primeval forests. Today, it is the National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Biosphere Reserve that was awarded the European Council Diploma, which is the highest recognition of Belovezhskaya Pushcha's importance and uniqueness on the planet Earth.

In 1994, the Property Management Department of the Belarusian President (PPMD) took control over the unique area. The new administration of the National Park had nothing to do with conservation work and wildlife science in the famous forest. It rather considered its economical value, unleashing an intensive commercialization there. The profit was gained by various means - by raring cattle, enlarging farming fields, starting trade, putting up a production of birch juice, mushrooms, berries and herbs, and increasing a quota for commercial hunting. But the drastic step in the development of the National Park was made at the end of the 90s by building up sawmills. The biggest mill, which could process a much higher volume of wood than the forest of Belovezhskaya Pushcha could supply, appeared in the village of Kamenyuki, the administrative centre of the National Park. High-performance wood-processing equipment for it was purchased in Germany for over $1.5 million.

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How you can help.
In this case, the best way is to spread the word, to get the issue out to the media. The regime in Belarus is not very cooperative, so the best way (at least for now) is publicity.