Puszcza Białowieska (1979, 1992, 2014)

• Authors: KRZYŚCIAK-KOSIŃSKA RENATA

Title variants

EN

Białowieża Forest (1979, 1992, 2014)

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

Białowieża Forest is a large forest complex located on the border between Poland and Belarus. Thanks to several centuries of protection the Forest has survived in its natural state to the present day. This property includes a complex of lowland forests that are characteristic of the Central European mixed forest terrestrial ecoregion. The area has exceptional conservation significance due to the scale of its old growth forests, which include extensive undisturbed areas where natural processes are on-going. The result is a richness in dead wood, both standing and on the ground, and consequently a high diversity of fungi and saproxylic invertebrates. The property protects a diverse and rich wildlife including 59 mammal species, over 250 bird, 13 amphibian, 7 reptile and over 12,000 invertebrate species. The iconic symbol of the property is the European bison. Criteria: (ix), (x) transboundary property (Balarus / Poland) European bison – a species saved from extinction Every year thousands of tourists from all over the world visit the Białowieża forest in order to discover its natural wealth, including the European bison, the largest land mammal in Europe, which still lives there. Amongst the visitors are scientists, lovers of nature, artists, as well as those who want to see with their own eyes the animal, which was rescued from the extinction at the last moment. A thousand years ago, European bison lived throughout the continent. Over the centuries, its habitat shrank so much that in the 15th century the animal lived in just a handful of forests. Ultimately, in the early 20th century, bison could only be encountered in Białowieża Forest. A different, mountain type of the species still lived in the Caucasus Mountains. Before the outbreak of World War I, the Białowieża Forest was home to about 700 of these majestic animals, which were under human care. They were fed in winter and guarded by the relevant services so as not to be killed by poachers. However, the effort of many generations was spoiled during World War I when the bison, which were no longer protected, fell prey to poachers one by one. The last bison living in the wild was killed in 1919. Luckily, there were still specimens that used to live in primeval forests and had been caught and kept in display enclosures and private zoos in Poland, Germany, Sweden and other European countries. Thanks to the initiative of Polish naturalists, the International Society for the Protection of the European Bison was established in 1923 with the aim of saving the species. Only 12 specimens with documented origin and no traces of American bison blood were selected from several dozen animals still living in zoos. However, all the pure-bred lowland bison (without traces of the Caucasian bison’s blood) living today are the descendants of just seven specimens. In 1929, after a 10-year break, the first two specimens were brought to the Białowieża Forest. A breeding reserve was created in Białowieża. It still functions at the Białowieża National Park and has played a tremendous role in preserving the species. After many years of arduous breeding and fighting for every specimen, the population slowly began to grow. The entire process was extremely slow – the first two individuals were only set free in the forest in 1952, and two years later a group of 16 bison was released into the wild. Since that time, the population of bison living on the Polish side of the Forest has increased to about 306 specimens in 2000, 402 in 2006, 473 at the end of 2010 and 596 in 2016. It is the world’s largest population of bison living in the wild. In the eastern part of the Białowieża Forest, on the Belarusian side, their number is nearly as high. In Poland – in breeding enclosures and in the wild – there are slightly more than 1,500 European bison, and 6,083 all over the world. The number of animals making up the species is impressive compared to 1919 and it could seem that the restoration of the European bison is a success story. However, despite the continuous growth of its global population, the animal’s future remains unclear. Animals which are descendants of just a few specimens demonstrate small genetic variability, which makes them, among other things, less resistant to disease. Additionally, the dispersion of the specimens and the almost total isolation of individual herds block a free gene flow that is seen as a prerequisite for the development of a stable and healthy population. Bison are not territorial animals; nevertheless, they require vast spaces and these are less and less available on our continent. Poland has been making every effort to prevent a repetition of the dramatic episodes from the history of the species and to ensure it has a secure future.

Keywords

PL

Puszcza Białowieska; żubr; Międzynarodowe Towarzystwo Ochrony Żubra; największy ssak Europy; Białowieski Park Narodowy; ochrona żubra

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 2017
• Issue: Dodatek Specjalny. Dziedzictwo w Polsce.
• Pages: 79-82

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

KRZYŚCIAK-KOSIŃSKA RENATA

• Nadleśnictwo Białowieża
• Białowieża Forest District

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247