Four activists from the Wild Carpathians Initiative have pitched two tents in front of the RDLP building in Krosno. They are protesting against the cutting down of the Carpathian Primeval Forest and submitted a petition "In defence of the oldest trees - the Carpathian giants" to the director of the RDLP. Almost 23,000 people have signed it.

Activists are calling for:

• Cessation of cutting trees and construction of roads in the area of the planned Turnicki National Park, in particular in the area of the planned network of The Relic Carpathian Forest (Polish: Reliktowa Puszcza Karpacka) wildlife reserves;
• Creation of a network of The Relic Carpathian Forest wildlife reserves in the area of the planned Turnicki National Park;
• Creation of planned wildlife reserves in the buffer zone of the Bieszczady National Park.

"The State Forests (Polish: Lasy Państwowe) are obliged to protect forests as part of their management of our common good. Yet they treat these beautiful, centuries-old trees as objects to be monetised. In doing so, they are robbing future generations of the experience of spending time around old trees and squandering the potential of forestry to really combat the effects of the climate crisis. Through their short-sighted actions they are degrading natural habitats and depleting biodiversity," says the petition.

Activists are sounding the alarm about the dangers of cutting down old-growth forests. They point to the disruption of water retention in the landscape and the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

"The fate of the forests of the Carpathian Primeval Forest and the giant trees that grow there is a concern for thousands of people from all over Poland. It's not just a small group of environmentalists who care about the survival of these increasingly scarce areas and of these increasingly scarce Carpathian giants and the creatures that inhabit their surroundings," the activists inform on Instagram.

The group wants to stay in the camp they set up until the director of the RDLP answers their petition. They argue that their demands are ready for immediate implementation. The only thing that is needed is Krosno officials' goodwill.

Edward Marszałek, spokesman for the RDLP in Krosno, told krosno112.pl that the Wild Carpathians Initiative will receive a substantive response in the coming days.

Jan Mazur, deputy director of the RDLP for forest management, points out that foresters do not cut down trees with a "natural monument" status until the trees decay naturally. The official says there is an ongoing mistletoe invasion in the region, which poses a threat to the sustainability of the forest. Foresters are trying to combat the parasite.

The Wild Carpathian Initiative reports on Instagram that a legal protest has been disbanded by the Krosno City Hall.

"This is yet another example of the suppression of peaceful demonstrations. Protesters face constant obstruction of their activities. [...] We disagree with the decision of the police and the Krosno City Hall, the dispersion of the protest was a violation of our rights," reads the activists' profile.

Source: krosno112.pl, Gazeta Wyborcza