|
18 February 2002. In response to an application to kill up to 50 wolves for purposes of 'scientific research' on parasites & viruses, the Polish Minister of the Environment has just announced that he has decided not to give permission for the proposed wolf cull in the Bieszczady Mountains of Poland. The Minister, explaining his decision, said that "there is still a lot of controversy surrounding wolf numbers and the level of damages in the Bieszczady Mountains, but it is not a reason to kill so many wolves". The Minister's statement was based on opinions prepared by scientists and conservationists, including Dr. Wojciech Smietana, Biosphere Expeditions'local scientist, and a report prepared by the National Council for Nature Protection.
Biosphere Expeditions is a not-for-profit, award winning research and
conservation organisation that runs wildlife conservation research
expeditions to all corners of the Earth, placing ordinary people with no research experience alongside scientists who are at the forefront of
conservation work. The organisation, which together with Dr. Smietana
recently captured and radio-collared the first-ever wolf in the history of the Polish Carpathians, has been sending research teams of international volunteers to the Bieszczady Mountains for two years to assist Dr. Smietana in his quest to protect wolves in the area. Dr. Matthias Hammer, Field Operations Director of Biosphere Expeditions, says that "this success is down to many people and organisations and we are absolutely delighted that we were able to play a small part in protecting the Bieszczady wolves from this very real danger."
Dr. Smietana has been working on wolves since 1988, contributing to their conservation all over Poland and particularly in the Carpathians. In 1992 he moved to his present location in the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (spanning parts of the Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland and including the Bieszczady National Park) to continue and extend his studies of wolves and other animals, particularly lynx, brown bear and red deer. He also breeds and trains Tatra sheep dogs for local shepherds.
Gemma Thorn, a recent member of the expedition team from the UK, calls her time in Poland an "experience of a lifetime" and "a childhood dream come true". It is through the work and financing that Gemma and others like her have provided that animals such as these wolves can be saved. The Biosphere Expedition team members are given the opportunity to work on important conservation projects in remote areas of the world, whilst at the same time being safe in the knowledge that their contribution really makes a difference. "Without people like Gemma it is unlikely that the Minister's decision would have gone the way it did. It's amazing what motivated individuals can do when they work together" said Dr. Hammer.
Biosphere Expeditions next project in the Peru Amazon is just as important. There the Biosphere teams will be surveying virgin rainforest wildlife in an effort to protect this pristine environment from logging and other threats. For further information visit Biosphere Expeditions
|
