Former BirdLife Belarus (APB) officials have been arrested and one has been in jail for six months on suspicion of trying to destabilize the country under the guise of bird protection. The organization has been ordered by a court to close next month after 24 years of operation. On the Ukrainian border, wildlife scientists working to preserve bats and the gut microbiome of venomous snakes are accused of working on bio-weapons. Vladimir Putin has wrongly claimed that “dozens of laboratories in Ukraine” are experimenting with infectious diseases such as the US-led coronavirus. In Belarus, environmentalists say they are concerned about telephone interceptions and the safety of those who speak openly. A source told the Guardian: “Belarus has been more or less taken over by Putin. “The darkness that has enveloped the east of our region is also approaching those who protect the environment,” the source said. “Beyond absolute injustice, this is a huge blow to global conservation.” Alexander Vintchevski, founder of Birdlife Belarus, is scanning swampy areas for birds in the Pripyat National Park in the Gomel region. Photo: Vincent Mundy / The Guardian The APB was one of the last organizations to continue to operate. “Growing paranoia from the government has changed that,” he said. “Any organization that was considered capable of being anti-government was under threat. As for the APB, I think that was completely false. “APB did not participate in this kind of policy, it was completely focused on nature conservation.” Ashton-Butt said the organization had achieved “huge things” with minimal resources. This included re-wetting more than 17,200 hectares (42,000 acres) of carbon-rich peatlands and expanding one of Europe’s largest mud hills, bringing it to a total size of 100,000 hectares. The APB has also led efforts to halt the development of the E40 waterway connecting the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as to save waterfowl from extinction. “If conservation organizations can’t work, it leads to possible erosion of protected areas,” Ashton-Butt said, adding that it was “crazy” to think of Russian tanks driving over the virgin peatlands where he worked. Some environmentalists in Polesia were found in the heart of the war, stuck in their homes without electricity or water. The APB acted as a barrier against new developments and with the departure of the agency, there is a greater chance that major infrastructure projects will pass, he said. “You can see the drainage of wetlands and the commercial forestry going on because no one is there to oppose it. Belarus’s forests and peatlands are the most pristine in Europe. “If they are dried up or degraded or cut down, they will be the last forests and wetlands of their kind in Europe.” The Sluch River flows through the Middle Pripyat Reserve. The area’s rivers are rich in freshwater fish species, including carp species such as sea bream and cockroach, along with pike, catfish, terrestrial perch, perch, stick and eel. Photo: Vincent Mundy / The Guardian As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues and the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II unfolds, human lives are a priority. Environmental work has been put on hold and urgent attention is being paid to providing food and shelter for refugees fleeing Ukraine. Neighboring Romania, Slovakia and Poland are working to buy and deliver emergency supplies to the border, as well as to help colleagues leaving the country. The Frankfurt Zoological Society has lost more than a third of its European program due to the war in Ukraine, where it maintained conservation work for two decades. It has supported efforts to help refugees fleeing the conflict find a temporary place to stay in protected areas. Organizations such as the WWF and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have issued statements saying peace is essential for nature to thrive, condemning war as having profound humanitarian and ecological consequences. “The damage caused by armed conflict far outweighs the damage caused by the fighting itself. “By destroying the government, the resounding ecological consequences of the conflict could last for decades,” the UN said in a statement. Politically, war threatens to jeopardize the European Green Agreement biodiversity plan, with the EU delaying the publication of the Pesticide Sustainability Directive and “nature conservation” targets, citing food security concerns. from the war. More than 160 environmental NGOs have signed a letter to the European Commission asking it not to postpone the green proposals, due to the urgent need to address climate and biodiversity crises. Instead of cutting back on nature provisions in response to the war, they argue that the Commission should reduce food waste, reduce the number of animals, rely on fertilizers and discourage the use of food crops for energy. Ariel Brunner, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia Policy Officer, said: “There is a frantic effort to derail them. [the green proposals] in the name of food security. Basically, the farm lobbies say, “there is a war in Ukraine, Ukraine will not export grain, this will lead to a food security crisis” and that we must return to produce, produce, produce and dump environmental material. “ Brunner believes this risks killing the green agenda and fueling the next environmental crisis. “There is a scientific consensus that the only major threat to our ability to feed is climate change and the collapse of ecosystems, so using food security to avoid these problems is completely self-destructive.” Find more extinction age coverage here and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features
