UNESCO monitoring mission visits Belarus to assess negative impacts of fence on Belarusian-Polish border

Minsk counts on unbiased conclusions of international experts on the situation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

A UNESCO monitoring mission visited Belarus to assess the negative impact of the fence erected by Poland on the Belarusian-Polish border. The delegation visited Brest and Grodno regions. It was recorded that the construction was carried out without a project, and numerous norms were violated.

As a result, the relic forest began to degrade: somewhere trees dried up, somewhere flooded, biodiversity was disturbed, as well as harmful invasive plants, brought into the forest by the construction machinery. The damage to the reserve was voiced by representatives of the State Control Committee of Belarus.

The border fence has already caused the death of many animals, including those listed in the Red Book. It has blocked the migration routes of the forest inhabitants, who die from wounds caused by barbed wire and exhaustion. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is expected to consider the recommendations provided by the mission in July at its 46th session in New Delhi.