Campaign to Save Poland's Rospuda Valley

The Polish government confirmed at the beginning of February that it will permit a controversial section of the Via Baltica expressway - the Augustów Town bypass - to plough through the country's treasured Rospuda Valley in north-east Poland. A proposed north-south expressway, planned to connect Helsinki with Warsaw is now pending. Protests against the decision of the Minister of Environment Mr Szyszko are organised in whole Poland. The Polish public has recently joined the campaign, with floods of emails from individuals to Poland's Prime Minister expressing disagreement with the planned Rospuda Valley route. Thousands of people have started wearing green ribbons in solidarity with the campaign. Activists from Greenpeace have settled a camp at the site, they are ready to defend the precious area.

Some European Union countries want to route it through Poland; offering us the financing of its construction in exchange. Two options for its course are being considered. The Bialystok option is being promoted by the local authorities. The expressway would cross the Augustów Forest, the Rospuda River Valley, the Biebrza National Park and probably the Knyszyn Forest Landscape Park. It would also run through the Biala Forest (the Bug River Valley Landscape Park), along the edge of the Wigry National Park and the Narew National Park, and would cross migration routes of large mammals. These areas have been proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 European network of protected areas, the protection extending beyond the boundaries of the current National Parks and Landscape Parks. The sites are also recognized by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Areas. Moreover, the Valley of Biebrza River is included in the list of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention. And the second Lomza option, which is endorsed by ecologists, would avoid most of the above mentioned negative effects of the Bialystok option. That option would make it possible to save Rospuda River Valley. Moreover, it is much shorter.

The scheme threatens many ecosystems that have to be described as almost pristine, especially when compared with those in Western Europe. Via Baltica (especially the course of it that is promoted by local authorities) will lead to fragmentation of habitats of large mammals, such as elk, lynxes or wolves. It will cross migration routes of them, which will result in inbreeding, increased road mortality etc. (wildlife crossings are virtually altogether neglected in case of all roads in Poland). The scheme will also change the hydrological balance of the area, renowned for its unique peat lands and another water-dependent ecosystems with specific fauna and flora, like rare orchids.

The problem is that local communities are manipulated as far as all new road investments in that area are concerned. They face very serious problems with ever-increasing transportation (especially big trucks) near they houses, and believe that the new roads will lessen the intensity of the transportation near their cities (i.a. Augustów), although experiences of other countries prove something different. What is more, they are told that such investments are inevitable for increasing people's income and reduce unemployment rate, which severely affects that part of Poland. In reality, the economic benefits for local communities connected with the whole road construction scheme in Northeast Poland are at best doubtful. Moreover, it will lessen the potential of that region, since this part of Poland has a unique possibility to base its development on ecotourism, organic farming, traditional food production etc. Good quality of environment is its most precious asset of that region, not the fact that is located just on the course of planned road, as local authorities seem to believe. Most members of local communities are so tired of excess transportation volume just over their windows that want the construction works to set off as soon as possible - although in the same time they are very attached to their natural heritage and would be very unhappy to lose it. Unfortunately, they were manipulated by lobbies involved in construction of the expressway to think that nature conservation is something opposed to safeguarding their quality of life, and that they cannot have both.

More about the Via Baltica Expressway campaign and the current situation here and from CEE Bankwatch Network

This page was last updated 20 February 2007