In the Lublin section of the Belarusian border, the construction of an electronic barrier on the Bug River is underway. In the area 10 meters away from the shore, trees and bushes will be cut and controlled. Nature defenders explain that the losses in the natural environment are very large and senseless, because cutting down trees and destroying slopes increases the rate of erosion. And after a few years, the camera poles will be under water.
– There are no words to describe it. This is completely stupid and senseless destruction. In addition to the loss of the natural environment – the habitat of the crayfish was destroyed – now the river bank is deteriorating faster, and within two or three years the coast line will reach the currently built pillars. At least that's what conservationists explain, says Malgorzata Clemens, a nature photographer associated with the No for Walls initiative.
This applies to the valley of the Bug River, where cutting of trees and bushes was carried out in Lublin Voivodeship, on the border with Belarus. All as part of building an electronic barrier. That is, a system that, according to the Border Guard, includes about 1,800 camera poles, about 4,500 day and night cameras and special sensors. The project is expected to be completed in April next year, and the value of the contract is over PLN 279 million.
Hundreds of trees were cut down in Malgorzata Clemens
They can monitor the border 24 hours a day
– Thanks to this, Border Guard officers will receive a state border protection tool that will detect incidents related to border crossing and allow 24-hour monitoring of the border road, – says Captain Dariusz Sienicki, spokesperson of the Nadbujanski Border Guard Unit.
When we point out that migrants usually try to cross the land border illegally (in Podlaskie Voivodeship) and not through the border river, we inform them that this is indeed the case, but since the beginning of the year 395 people have been caught, who wanted to cross the Bug to Poland.
Contracts with RDOŚ were not required
It also says that the wall of Lublin Voivodeship is being built along the entire border with Belarus, i.e. 172 kilometers, while trees and bushes have been cut down 10 meters from the river bank.
– According to the article. Article 10 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Protection of the State Border” on the lands located along the border road, border troops can build devices for the protection of the state border without the need for any act of implementation of the law in the form of administrative decisions. or contracts – he emphasizes.
Cutting was also carried out in the Malgorzata Clemens nature reserve
This means that the investment does not require any agreement with the Regional Department of Environmental Protection. However, according to the captain. Sienicki, covered by the environmental control of the contractor cooperating with RDOŚ.
– Scope of cooperation, including: inspection of the work area and taking measures related to the protection of nature and environment. This is important because of the scale of intervention in the natural environment and the place of work, as well as the need and type of measures taken to minimize the impact of investment on the environment, including in areas covered by legal form. nature protection, – emphasizes the speaker (the press department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration to whom we sent questions – editorial comment).
Trees were also cut down near the church of Naples Malgorzata Clemens
Nature lovers: the shape is terrifying
Tourist guide and nature lover Lukasz Sinowiecki says he has seen the extent of the destruction, for example, in the Szwaikaria Podlaska nature reserve in Terespol commune and the Leg Debovy nature reserve near Janów Podlaski.
– No one questions the need to protect the border, but the way it is done is appalling. Even the oldest giant oaks were cut down, the earth was dug up, and the slopes were destroyed. However, trees “seal” the soil and protect it from erosion. Now the erosion continues and the slopes are sliding, he says.
He adds bitterly that “if Vladimir Putin sees this, he might be happy that we did this to ourselves as a country.”
Malgorzata Clemens “cleaned” the area 10 meters from the beach
– Of course, these trees cannot be restored, but maybe this will be a lesson for the future. Recently, government reports were published that the border with Ukraine should also be baptized. I hope that the example of what happened in the Bug River will give someone food for thought and the situation will not be repeated in the San border river, – Sinovetsky notes.
Director of IBS PAN: there has been a lot of damage to nature
However, candidate of medical sciences. Michal Żmihorski, director of the Institute of Mammal Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Białowieża, explains that although he is not a defense expert, he does not see the need to cut down the entire belt of forests.
– There are hills near the river which I think are perfect vantage points to set up cameras. It is not necessary to cut down all the trees and bushes. I have the impression that this decision was not well made. It caused great damage to nature, he notes.
The landscape will never be the same again as Malgorzata Clemens
RDO made recommendations
César Wierchon, spokesman for the Lublin RDO, informs us that following the request of the Border Guard, the management made recommendations in July.
– They mentioned in particular: to establish environmental control over the works and to carry out the works outside the poultry breeding season. And if the work is done in the reserves, the cut wood will remain in these reserves, – he lists.
We will soon have information on how RDOŚ evaluates the implementation of these recommendations. Employees have already visited the site.
Main photo credit: Malgorzata Clemens
