Polish minister who ordered illegal logging of Bialowieza Forest dismissed

Poland’s environment minister Jan Szyszko has been dismissed from his job. He was responsible for ordering a three-fold increase in logging in Bialowieza Forest – which ClientEarth and other environmental groups have fought.

Reacting to the news, ClientEarth lawyer Agata Szafraniuk said:

"The appointment of a new Minister of the Environment gives us great hope for a return to a state in which the Ministry acts to protect, not destroy our natural heritage. The list of bad and unsound decisions taken by Jan Szyszko is long and unfortunate. His decision to disregard and disobey the law in relation to the illegal logging in Białowieża Forest was only the tip of the iceberg. We hope that the new minister will take a more environmentally-friendly stance, where the ministry obeys the law and protects nature and wildlife and reverses the wrong decisions taken by Minister Szyszko and will commit to real nature conservation. "