Dividing the forest
In spring 2022, the Białowieża Forest, on the Polish border with Belarus, became the site of one of the most controversial infrastructure projects in the region: the construction of a permanent steel barrier along the Polish–Belarusian border. While construction crews worked on the fence, local researchers conducted daily field visits to document its immediate ecological footprint.
April 20, 2026 -
Nasta Zakharevich
Nikola Budzińska
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Issue 3 2026MagazineStories and ideas
Border fence between Poland and Belarus
Photo: Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock
In 2022, Poland completed the construction of a five‑metre‑high metal barrier along its border with Belarus. Officially framed as a response to the migration crisis orchestrated by Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime, the 187‑kilometre wall cuts directly through the Białowieża Forest – a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the last remaining primeval forests in Europe.
By physically dividing this unique ecosystem, the fence has disrupted long‑established migration routes, severed genetic links between wildlife populations, and altered everyday life in the borderland. More than two years later, the ecological consequences are increasingly visible, while the comprehensive monitoring needed to assess them remains largely absent. The wall was built outside standard environmental safeguards. How is this reshaping wildlife behaviour in the Białowieża Forest, and why have security imperatives consistently overridden scientific warnings and international conservation commitments?
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belarus, border, border wall, nature, Poland
