Latest news with #Polish-Belarusian
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
The missing lynx: how the rise of border walls has split up wildlife populations
The lynxes of the Białowieża forest once freely prowled through 1,420 sq km (548 sq miles) of ancient woodland. Then, in 2022, the habitat was abruptly sliced in two. Poland built a 115-mile (186km) wall across its border with Belarus to stop refugees and migrants entering the EU. About 15 lynxes were left stranded on the Polish side of the forest, forced into a genetic bottleneck. The 5.5-metre high barrier, which is topped with wire and cameras, also dissects the forest's population of bison, wolves and elk. Researchers monitored 10 sites along the border, walking along sections and counting signs of humans and wildlife. 'I could not have foreseen the diversity of impacts that we ended up finding,' says the lead author of the paper, Katarzyna Nowak, from the Polish Academy of Sciences' Mammal Research Institute. Humans have been building walls for thousands of years, but the speed and scale with which they are now being constructed has ballooned over recent decades. With refugee crises in Europe and Asia, and the rise of governments cracking down on immigration, the planet is increasingly crisscrossed with steel barriers, chain-link fencing and razor wire – with significant consequences for wildlife. There are now an estimated 74 border walls globally, up from just six in 1989, with more in the pipeline. 'The hardening of international borders through fortification and militarisation is on the rise,' researchers say in the paper on the impacts of the Polish-Belarusian border wall. In a separate paper published in February, another researcher argues for 'ecological peace corridors' to protect wildlife movement amid growing human conflict. At the same time that borders are strengthened, the need for humans and other animals to migrate is being supercharged by climate breakdown. 'It is a worrying future in multiple respects,' says Dr Stuart Butchart, chief scientist at BirdLife International. 'This is a worldwide phenomenon that is going to become of increasing importance.' His research found that border walls obstruct the ranges of more than 700 species of mammals, including leopards, tigers, cheetah and the critically endangered Saiga antelope. The study identified 20,000 miles of borders fortified with fences and walls, which can cause habitats to fragment and create injuries from entanglement, genetic bottlenecks and blocked migration routes. The US-Mexican border wall – which was found to have the most impact of those studied – bisects the ranges of 120 mammals alone. Pygmy owls, which stay close to the ground for safety, do not fly high enough to cross the wall, and populations of pumas and coatis – a raccoon-like animal found across Latin America – have fallen. Bighorn sheep risk becoming 'zombie species' as the populations become too genetically fragmented and unable to move sufficiently to adapt to climate change. The study of the Polish-Belarusian border showed animals were keeping their distance from the wall because they were scared of it. Despite the fact that it passed through a rich forest habitat, Nowak says: 'We had very few signs of animals along the border.' Thirty-six cameras were up for more than a year and images of lynxes were only found on them twice. Humans were more frequently seen on cameras than wildlife, especially at border sites. Sound recordings revealed human sounds – such as vehicles, music, dogs and gunshots – penetrated up to 250 metres into the forest, which is a Unesco world heritage site. Rubbish lined the border, drawing dogs, cats and other scavengers to the area. 'This again creates an unnatural interface, not just between people and wild animals, but also domestic animals,' says Nowak. Plant surveys suggested invasive species might be able to survive in the 'sun-streaked strip in the middle of the forest', says Nowak, who is worried that the forest could start to split into two. Borderland regions such as Białowieża Forest can also be among the continent's most biodiverse places. The border fence between Slovenia and Croatia has sliced up the Dinaric mountain range, home to some of the most important brown bear and wolf populations in Europe. The region's lynx population is threatened with high levels of inbreeding, with researchers warning that the fence 'may just be the last push for the population to spiral down the extinction vortex'. The 3,000-mile border between China and Mongolia, which is almost entirely fenced, has blocked the migrations of Asiatic wild ass. Even if these fences are removed in the future, migratory routes are not easily re-routed. Red deer on the border between the Czech Republic and the former West Germany still do not cross what was the 'iron curtain' – even though the electric fence that divided the countries was taken down 25 years ago, a study found. The life expectancy of a deer is 15 years, so no deer alive at the time of the study would have ever encountered the barrier. A 2025 review of the impacts of border walls had four key recommendations to make them less damaging: leave gaps in the fencing; cut down on light and noise; avoid the concertina razor-wire tops, which many animals die on; and increase cooperation between countries on the borders. To ease the pressure on wildlife, scientists are pushing for small gaps in fencing to allow species through. The US-Mexican border wall covers more than 700 miles of the almost 2,000-mile long frontier, and crosses the Madrean Sky Islands – patches of woodland that are home to the greatest diversity of mammals, reptiles and ants in the US. A study looked at the 13 small passages for wildlife along 80 miles of continuous border – or roughly one every 10km – each about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Researchers collected and analysed more than 12,000 videos of animals encountering them. Deer, bears, wolves and pronghorn sheep were all blocked by the wall, but cameras showed coyotes, wild pig-like peccaries, American badgers and even some smaller mountain lions were squeezing through. 'We were surprised by how busy the A4 holes ended up being,' says Eamon Harrity, wildlife programme manager at Sky Islands Alliance in Arizona and lead author of the study of the wall along the US-Mexico border. 'We want more of them,' says Harrity. 'They need to be, at a minimum, every half a kilometre.' Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
Euronews
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Two bodies believed to be migrants retrieved from river on Poland-Belarus border
ADVERTISEMENT Two bodies have been retrieved by authorities from the Bug River on Poland's border with Belarus. They are believed to be migrant men who had attempted to cross the border into Poland. Investigators are conducting an autopsy to determine the identities and cause of death of the bodies, which were significantly decomposed when they were found, according to Katarzyna Gągolińska of the Biała Podlaska police. The Polish Border Guard says that almost 300 attempts have been made to cross the Polish-Belarusian border in the Lublin province since the start of this year. Dariusz Sienicki, captain of the Bug River Border Guard Unit, says there is an upward trend compared with a year earlier. In 2024, approximately 530 reportedly tried to cross the border illegally, the Border Guard said. In the last 24 hours, the Border Guard rescued 13 people from the Bug River in another town in Lublin province. They were citizens of Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan, Sienicki said. Polish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Maciej Duszczyk alleged that the bodies "were people who were pushed into the water by the Belarusian services" in mid-March. He claimed that this is a tactic used as provocation by Belarus. Members of a group of some 30 migrants seeking asylum in Bialowieza, Poland, on Sunday, 28 May 2023. AP Photo/Agnieszka Sadowska Warsaw has accused its neighbour Belarus of luring asylum seekers from countries in Africa and the Middle East and pushing them towards the Polish border to sow chaos and destabilise Poland. Authorities say it is a retaliation from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for EU-imposed sanctions. They say he gives orders in cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to punish the EU over its support for Ukraine. At the end of March, Poland temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum. That legislation was widely criticised by human rights groups , which fear it may worsen a current humanitarian crisis. The border area is notorious for its dangerous terrain and harsh conditions, including exposure to freezing winter temperatures and inadequate access to food, shelter and aid. Paired with physical barriers imposed by the Polish government, the forest has become a trap for people travelling to the border, often resulting in a significant number of injuries, disappearances and fatalities.
See - Sada Elbalad
23-03-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
EU Grants Poland €52 Million for Border Security
Israa Farhan The European Commission has allocated €52 million to Poland to strengthen its borders with Belarus and Russia, according to Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak. The funding will be used for infrastructure development, including the construction of an asphalt road along the border, as well as the acquisition of drones and other security equipment. Poland's Border Guard reported that since the beginning of the year, over 1,200 individuals have attempted to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally, with most migrants originating from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Additionally, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda previously announced plans to deploy anti-personnel mines along the "Eastern Shield" defense line, reinforcing Poland's security measures along its borders with Belarus and Russia. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) News Ireland Replaces Former Israeli Embassy with Palestinian Museum News Israeli PM Diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Maguy Farah Reveals 2025 Expectations for Pisces News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland wants to plant landmines on its borders with Russia and Belarus
Poland plans to plant anti-personnel mines on its borders with Russia and Belarus as part of the East Shield project, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Bejda has said. Source: European Pravda, citing Polish news portal RMF24 Quote from Bejda: "We have no other choice. The situation on the border is serious. I'm talking about the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-Russian border... It will be one of the elements of the East Shield." Details: He added that Poland does not have anti-personnel mines but has "the capacity to produce them". "This [the production of landmines] will be carried out by the factories of the Polish Armed Group, but I don't want to go into details. We're talking about an order for several hundred thousand, we can talk about a million [units - ed.]," Bejda said. Bejda's remarks come as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland announced their intention on 18 March to withdraw from the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. Background: Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna previously commented on the Baltic states' and Poland's intention to withdraw from the convention banning anti-personnel mines. He argued that it is wrong for them to "forbid ourselves from using weapons that Russia is willing to use against us". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
