Belarus

Belarus encompasses huge wetland areas, crucial for a myriad of globally threatened species; and vast tracts of continuous old-growth forests that harbor significant populations of megafauna. In the south of the country, extending into neighboring Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, lies Europe’s largest remaining inland wetland wilderness: Polesia. The Pripyat, one of the last major rivers on the continent not straightened, diverted, or otherwise modified, flows through the heart of this area. Its water-covered landscapes, especially in spring, turn Polesia into a European Amazon, providing crucial feeding and breeding grounds for millions of migratory birds.

Vast tracts of contiguous old-growth forests have also survived in Belarus when so much of Europe’s forests have been lost. In the west of the country, bordering Poland lies one of the last great lowland virgin and old-growth forests on the continent: Bialowieza Forest. Large herds of bison roam here, and the forest is scattered with impressive veteran oak trees. Part of Bialowieza Forest has remained intact, while other parts have been heavily exploited, areas which now require restoration in order for their ecological integrity to return.