Highlights

• Discussions between Deputy Minister Mikołaj Dorożała and the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris concerned the draft Management Plan for the Białowieża Forest.
• UNESCO gave a positive assessment on the draft, which the Forest had not had since 2014.
• The plan was developed based on 17 analyses and over 45 meetings with local governments, scientists and social organisations.
• In 2025, the municipalities of the Białowieża Forest and the Hajnówka County received a total of approximately PLN 12.5 million in environmental subsidies.
• Public opinion polls confirm that over 90% of residents want the Forest to be protected with minimal human interference.
• It has been agreed that a UNESCO mission to the Białowieża Forest will take place in 2027.

A key document for the protection of the Forest

The adoption of a Management Plan is a requirement for every site inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Białowieża Forest has not had such a document since 2014, and the need to develop one has been repeatedly raised by the World Heritage Committee. During the meeting, which took place on 5 February 2026 in Paris, key challenges related to the implementation of the document were discussed, including site management issues and cross-border conditions. UNESCO welcomed the information about the preparation of the draft Plan.

Details of the document preparation process were also presented during the meeting. The draft was developed through a broad expert and consultation process, with 17 analyses and reports prepared and over 45 meetings held with local authorities, site managers, the scientific community and social organisations.

Multi-million support

At the same time, support mechanisms for local communities have been put in place. From 2025, under the amended regulations on the income of local government units, they are receiving a so-called ecological subsidy for the presence of protected areas, of which the municipalities of the Białowieża Forest and Hajnówka County already received a total of approximately PLN 12.5 million in 2025 – which in the case of the municipality of Białowieża accounts for as much as 25% of its annual budget.

Enormous support for the protection of the Forest

In the context of work on the Management Plan, the results of public opinion polls conducted as part of the campaign ‘Białowieża Forest. The only one in the world’ were also highlighted. Over 90% of respondents – including 91% of Forest residents – favour protecting the entire area with minimal human interference, and over 70% are opposed to logging and hunting in the area. These results indicate strong public support for conservation measures and the adoption of the Management Plan.

We are strengthening cooperation

The meeting at UNESCO was co-organised by Ambassador Mariusz Lewicki, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to UNESCO, who participated in the talks and supports efforts to strengthen Poland's cooperation with the World Heritage Centre.

It was agreed that the next stage of the dialogue would be a planned UNESCO mission to the Białowieża Forest in 2027, which will further strengthen cooperation in the protection of this unique world heritage site.