Highlights

• Forest management within 50 km of the border will be modified to limit and slow down the potential movements of enemy troops.
• A major programme to restore aquatic ecosystems and water-dependent areas will be implemented in the border region. Regional environmental protection directorates, the State Forests, national parks, as well as local authorities and non-governmental organisations will be entitled to receive funding for this purpose.
• On 29 May 2026, calls for proposals will be launched under the European Funds (the FEnIKS programme), in which projects incorporating the defence component of the Eastern Shield will be prioritised, with a total budget of nearly half a billion PLN.
• The activities of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of National Defence combine pro-environmental aspects with the protection of the State's borders.

As part of the environmental component of the East Shield, we are reforming forest management to block the movement of enemy troops. We have also secured funding for the restoration of wetlands and marshes, thereby strengthening resilience to climate change

– said Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska during the conference.

Cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Climate and Environment is crucial. In a defence operation, the entire state is always defended. Along 700 km of the border, we are implementing a deterrence and defence programme worth EUR 10 billion. The environmental component is of great importance here. It is essential to use the terrain and nature as allies for our army

– said Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk.

Changes to forest management

Changes to forest management have been introduced in the border forest districts. These will apply to forests located up to 50 km from the border. They have been divided into three zones. In the innermost zone, located up to five kilometres from the border, clear-cutting has been banned, and the clearing of firebreaks will also cease. In the remaining zones, clear-cutting will be restricted, and dead trees will be left lying throughout the area; furthermore, timber will not be harvested in marshes and alder forests.

The aim of these measures is to utilise the natural barrier to the movement of troops and heavy equipment created by nature. The planned measures will cover 48 forest districts along the border.

PLN 450 million for renaturation

In the calls for proposals launched back in May under the European Funds (FEnIKS programme) related to renaturation, priority will be given to projects that incorporate the defence component of the East Shield. The total budget for the calls is PLN 450 million.

The largest portion of this amount – PLN 310 million – will be allocated to support projects implemented by national parks and regional environmental protection directorates. PLN 100 million is the budget for calls for proposals aimed at local authorities and non-governmental organisations. Activities carried out by the State Forests will also receive support of approximately PLN 40 million.

Investments in the nature component will involve ceasing land drainage (land improvement), restoring wetlands and peatlands, and maintaining high groundwater levels.
As Deputy Minister Urszula Zielińska explained, restoring natural water retention and creating ecological corridors constitutes the restoration of ecosystems and, at the same time, fulfils the State's strategic security needs.

We will allocate PLN 450 million from European funds to rebuild our resilience and security. We are in dialogue with our European partners and commissioners on how to invest in projects that strengthen resilience and security under the new financial framework

– said Deputy Minister Urszula Zielińska.

As she noted, the project is already attracting interest within the European Union. It is an innovative approach that comprehensively combines the building of climate resilience, military defence and nature conservation. The Ministry of Climate and Environment is developing expert cooperation and coordinating activities with countries undertaking similar initiatives, forming the Baltic Defence Line – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

Chief Nature Conservator Mikołaj Dorożała added that the Ministry of Climate and Environment is leading an inter-ministerial working group involving the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the General Directorate of State Forests, the Office of Forest Management and Forest Surveying, the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and the National Support Centre for Agriculture. The group brings together the expertise of military personnel, foresters, hydrologists and agricultural management specialists.

The last two years of fruitful cooperation towards a single common goal – national security – have demonstrated how changes designed to protect Poland’s beautiful natural environment can help safeguard our borders. Good renaturation projects will hinder the movement of enemy forces. Changes to forest management in the strip closest to the border were consulted with the military

– said Deputy Minister Mikołaj Dorożała.