Death sentence signed for Polish natural treasure
Warsaw, Poland — Flying in the face of public opinion in Poland, the Polish government confirmed this afternoon that it will permit a controversial section of the Via Baltica expressway – the Augustow Town bypass – to plough through the country’s treasured Rospuda Valley in north-east Poland.
Robert Cyglicki, of Bankwatch, one of several groups leading the Via Baltica campaign, said: “Today’s decision puts Poland in a very difficult position when it comes to its obligation to conserve very rare habitats of international importance. Polish officials have displayed total ignorance not only to environmental science but also to basic economics. The 17 kilometre long Augustow Town bypass, through the prized wetlands of Rospuda Valley, will cost more than 140 million euros and will become the most costly road project in the history of Poland in terms of length and likely devastation.”
The Polish public has recently joined in the campaign, with floods of emails from individuals to Poland’s biggest daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza expressing disagreement with the planned Rospuda Valley route. Thousands of people have started wearing green ribbons in solidarity with the campaign.
Adam Wajrak, the widely admired Polish environmental journalist in Poland coveted by Time magazine with the prestigious title “European Hero”, said:
“This is one of those exceptional days when the Polish government, and in particular our ministry of environment, has excluded Poland from the group of civilized countries. The government is very well aware that Rospuda Valley is a unique place of European importance, that such wetlands do not exist anywhere in Europe, yet it does not care at all! The protests that will follow today’s construction consent have a symbolic dimension. The green ribbon is becoming very popular around Poland. Not everyone can go to the Rospuda site in order to directly protect the place but the ribbon will show those who have sentenced the valley how many of us will never forget their decision.”
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