I’ve recommended north-eastern parts of Poland a few times before, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned the Rospuda Valley.
Like many areas in that part of Poland, Rospuda Valley is quite spectacular. To quote a recent AP report:
the Rospuda Valley [is] a pristine area in northeastern Poland containing a peat bog amid a virgin pine forest that is home to endangered bird species, orchids, eagles, lynxes, wolves, elk, wild boars, otters and beavers.
In recent years it also became the bone of contention between the Polish government and many environmentalists as the former wanted to build a motorway right through the Valley.
Via Baltica is to link Warsaw and Helsinki and the Rospuda Valley lies slap bang in the middle. But the government didn’t bother with alternative routes and carried on with its original plans.
A Polish conservationist called Malgorzata Gorska from the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds led a successful campaign to stop the development and yesterday she was awarded this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the “Green Nobel.”
Here’s how AP reported Gorska’s fight with the Polish officials:
The Goldman prize said Gorska was “instrumental in fostering a citizens’ movement and developing a case against the Polish government to protect the Rospuda Valley from construction.”
After efforts to persuade the government to stop its plans failed, Gorska took advantage of Poland’s new membership in the EU, which it joined in 2004, making the case that the project violated environment regulations known as the EU’s Natura 2000.
The EU, as a result of her campaign, filed suit against Poland’s government in 2007, forcing it to suspend work until the court could examine the case. While the European Court of Justice did that, a Polish court found the route violated national laws, and in 2009 the Polish government gave up its plans to build the expressway through the valley.
If you’ve ever driven in Poland you know how desperate Poland is for good quality motorways. But not at any cost. So well done to Malgorzata!
Image by Pedalofilo via Flickr used under Creative Commons Attribution licence
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