The Wider Image: Bialowieza: Europe's last primeval forest
Inside Poland's ancient Bialowieza Forest, birds chirp and bison graze as visitors explore the lush green surroundings, a home to boars, beavers, lynx - and beetles. Occupying almost 580 square miles of woodland, Bialowieza is a UNESCO World Heritage site sprawling across the border with Bielorussia. But Europe's last primeval forest is under attack, from bark beetles eating its spruce trees. Foresters working in Bialowieza and the government say the solution is to cut down more trees, to save other trees. In March, the environment minister said he would approve increasing the harvest. The decision has infuriated environmental campaigners, who have complained to the European Commission, saying the logging threatens natural habitats. Scientists also argue that at 8,000 years old, the forest has survived two world wars as well as past outbreaks of the bark beetle, or Ips typgraphus. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel SEARCH "BIALOWIEZA PEMPEL" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Matching text POLAND-ENVIRONMENT/FOREST
