International monitoring mission to visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha
15.02.2024
MINSK, 15 February (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andrei Khudyk announced the arrival of a monitoring mission of international scientific experts to Belovezhskaya Pushcha as he spoke at a meeting with students and management of the Faculty of Geography and Geoinformatics of the Belarusian State University on 15 February, BelTA has learned.
“Belarus, being a state party to 23 international treaties in environmental protection and rational use of natural resources, fulfills its international obligations in good faith and in full. We actively use the platforms of these agreements, as well as of such international organizations and integration associations as the UN, IAEA, WHO, EAEU, CIS, not only to promote national interests, but also to develop globally and regionally agreed rules and norms in nature protection activities,” Andrei Khudyk said.
In his words, over the past three years the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has been actively working to protect the transboundary UNESCO World Heritage Site Belovezhskaya Pushcha, since the fence erected by the Polish authorities across this unique natural site causes irreparable damage to ecosystems, fauna and flora.
“The need to deploy a reactive monitoring mission of international scientific experts to the site in order to objectively assess the situation was recognized at the international level only in September 2023, during the 45th enlarged session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This visit is expected to take place in March 2024,” the minister of natural resources and environmental protection said.
