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| Poland vows to continue logging in Białowieża forest despite court ban | Poland vows to continue logging in Białowieża forest despite court ban |
| (6 months later) | |
| Government signals it will defy order from EU’s top court to suspend operations in Unesco-listed ancient forest | |
| Agence France-Presse in Brussels | |
| Mon 31 Jul 2017 15.52 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 31 Jul 2017 16.00 BST | |
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| Poland will keep logging in the ancient forest of Białowieża despite an order from the EU’s top court to halt the practice, the country’s environment minister has said. | Poland will keep logging in the ancient forest of Białowieża despite an order from the EU’s top court to halt the practice, the country’s environment minister has said. |
| The court of justice of the European Union last week ordered Poland to suspend logging operations pending a final judgment on its dispute with the EU. | The court of justice of the European Union last week ordered Poland to suspend logging operations pending a final judgment on its dispute with the EU. |
| The environment minister, Jan Szyszko, said on Monday that operations would continue and the government was preparing a response to the court, to be sent by Friday. | The environment minister, Jan Szyszko, said on Monday that operations would continue and the government was preparing a response to the court, to be sent by Friday. |
| Polish television station TVN24 showed footage of machines felling trees in the Białowieża forest, which has been listed as a Unesco world heritage site. | Polish television station TVN24 showed footage of machines felling trees in the Białowieża forest, which has been listed as a Unesco world heritage site. |
| Greenpeace’s Polish spokesman said: “The felling is continuing, even if it is at a lower intensity.” | Greenpeace’s Polish spokesman said: “The felling is continuing, even if it is at a lower intensity.” |
| On Saturday, a cameraman trying to establish if the felling operations were continuing was assaulted by employees of one of the logging companies, an incident that was condemned on Monday by the authorities. | On Saturday, a cameraman trying to establish if the felling operations were continuing was assaulted by employees of one of the logging companies, an incident that was condemned on Monday by the authorities. |
| The EU took Poland to court on 13 July, arguing that the Białowieża operations were destroying a forest that boasts unique plant and animal life, including the continent’s largest mammal, the European bison. | The EU took Poland to court on 13 July, arguing that the Białowieża operations were destroying a forest that boasts unique plant and animal life, including the continent’s largest mammal, the European bison. |
| The Polish government said it had authorised the logging, which began in May last year, to contain damage caused by a spruce bark beetle infestation and to fight the risk of forest fires. | The Polish government said it had authorised the logging, which began in May last year, to contain damage caused by a spruce bark beetle infestation and to fight the risk of forest fires. |
| But scientists, ecologists and the EU have protested and activists allege the logging is a cover for commercial cutting of protected old-growth forests. | But scientists, ecologists and the EU have protested and activists allege the logging is a cover for commercial cutting of protected old-growth forests. |
| The forest, which straddles Poland’s eastern border with Belarus, includes one of the largest surviving parts of the primeval forest that covered the European plain 10,000 years ago. | The forest, which straddles Poland’s eastern border with Belarus, includes one of the largest surviving parts of the primeval forest that covered the European plain 10,000 years ago. |
| The Unesco committee overseeing the world heritage sites project has joined the EU in calling on Poland to halt the logging operations. | The Unesco committee overseeing the world heritage sites project has joined the EU in calling on Poland to halt the logging operations. |
| Poland | |
| Deforestation | |
| European Union | |
| Conservation | |
| Europe | |
| Trees and forests | |
| news | |
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