The Committee also decided that removal of trees endangering safety along certain roads and routes (within a radius of 50 metres on both sides is also allowed in the entire Primeval Forest. What is more, felling trees is also permitted in the active protection zone in order to rebuild tree stands and actively protect valuable habitats. This decision is in line with the Plan of Conservation Tasks for the Primeval Forest as a Natura 2000 area.

UNESCO demands that the March 2016 appendix to the current forest management plan for the Białowieża Forest Inspectorate be revoked, which is consistent with the action of the Polish side – work is underway on a new annex that will repeal the one currently in force. 

In addition, Poland and Belarus have until February 2020 to submit an updated joint report on the conservation status of the Site to the World Heritage Centre.

Numerous bilateral meetings on the Primeval Forest

In Baku, Vice-Minister Małgorzata Golińska attended meetings with representatives of the World Heritage Centre (WHC), as well as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in order to discuss the current situation at the Site and the plans of the Polish side with regard to the Primeval Forest. The WHC and IUCN experts welcomed the information presented by the Polish side.

The text of the decision will be available on the World Heritage Centre website: whc.unesco.org