More than 150 non-governmental organizations are calling on the European Commission to intervene to stop the construction of a wall on the Polish-Belarus border, which runs through protected areas, including one of Europe’s last primeval forests.
Poland began building a 186km metal barrier in January to deter migrants after nearly 40,000 people from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa tried to cross Belarus last year.
The barrier will pass through several Natura 2000 protected areas, including the Bialowieza Forest, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and home to European bison, lynx and other endangered species.
Organizations from 25 countries argue that the project will divide the animals’ habitats and disrupt ecological connectivity.
“We are opposed to the construction of this horrible wall, which will be ineffective in stopping the migration crisis and risking the collapse of protected species like the lynx,” said Augustyn Mikos of the Association Workshop for All Beings.
“We call on the European Commission, which is the guardian of the EU’s Treaties and Laws, to take urgent action to remove this barrier which goes against all European principles of human rights and violates the EU law on nature.”
The appeal will be delivered on Tuesday to a representative of the EU executive in Warsaw, along with a letter signed by more than 1,500 academics and a petition from the local community opposing the wall.
The organizations say the decision to build the barrier was made without public consultations or an environmental impact assessment.
Poland’s government said the law on the border wall did not require such an assessment and that more than 20 animal crossings would be built to limit their impact on wildlife.
UNESCO, the European Commission and environmentalists called in January for a proper assessment of the construction’s environmental impact.
Source: CNN Brasil
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