Bialowieza

 

Białowieza Forest is an extraordinary place for one very simple reason: in the strictly protected part of the national park, one may admire the most famous fragment of the vast primeval forest that once stretched across the European lowlands after the last ice age. Its survival is a miracle and the characteristics of this precious natural sanctuary replete with species extinct elsewhere, are unique. The best protected parts which run across state boundaries from north eastern Poland to Belarus have been designed as Biosphere Reserve and the entire massif listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. No other temperate forest has such a diversity of rare habitats, nor so many species in such complex ecological networks, nor such vast amounts of gigantic trees, masses of fungi, moss-covered logs or fallen deadwood, as the Białowieza Forest. Despite the total absence of beech tree, it is both a window through which we can glimpse the past and a reference standard to which other European forests can be compared. As such it is definitely one of our most important natural treasures.

Among ecologists and naturalists worldwide, this place is now one of the best-recognized windows into our evolutionary past. This is not only due to the extensive patch of natural forests that - against all odds - remained largely governed by natural processes, but also due to researchers that studied this unique ecosystem, bringing novel findings to an international audience.

Since April 2010, I had the opportunity to delve into the depths of this unique heritage in both Polish and Belarusian parts over the course of several months spent there in total, almost exclusively in total and solitary immersion with memorable bivouac nights deep in the woods. I knew exactly where and why I was there, and it immediately became clear that it was no coincidence that my own path crossed that of this exceptional forest. What a pleasure and what emotion to explore this naturalist's paradise over the seasons; for magic still happens there. Above all the magic of one winter day, when three bull bisons accepted me for a couple of hours and I was privileged to share unforgettable moments with the «Emperors of the Forest» roaming free in their natural environment, offering me fleeting visions of how our own part of the world was, thousands of years ago.

But the rich and long history of this place is at a new turning point: the managed parts of the forest - which are no virgin or even close to virgin forests, even in the nature and forest reserves - have been the scene of a legal battle and an ideological conflict echoing the tensions and questions which animate the whole of our modern society. In addition to the title of mythical forest, the Bialowieza Forest takes on the status of symbolic forest in a world in full transition and in search of new landmarks. In the introduction of the book "The Last Primeval Forest in Lowland Europe", polish author Jan Walencik writes: "What power of persuasion, what amount of goodwill, what level of understanding is needed in order for a relatively small scrap of natural forest to gain effective legal protection? Words fail me in the face of such an irresponsible attitude - so I shall let my photographs do the talking". I couldn't agree more with this bias.

So I invite you to discover in this gallery my contribution in images to the celebration of the last well-preserved lowland deciduous and mixed forest, precious remnant of European primary lowland forests as a whole.


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