The Ecological Impact of Wolf Reintroduction to Britain
Blog Wolves & Ecology The Ecological Impact of Wolf Reintroduction to Britain What research from Białowieża Primeval Forest tells us about what to expect if wolves return to Scotland — by a wolf ecologist who works here. A wolf at the edge of Białowieża village in winter Wolf reintroduction to Britain is again a hot […]
Beavers: Nature’s Water Engineers in Białowieża Forest
Frequently asked questions Are there beavers in Białowieża Forest? Yes. Beavers are abundant in Białowieża Forest, where they engineer the wetland habitats that support a cascade of other wildlife. Their dams create ponds that attract otters, amphibians, and wading birds, and their felling of trees opens the forest canopy in ways that increase structural diversity. […]
The story and science behind the recent appearance of a bear in Białowieża Forest
Site Guide Plants & Animals Bears in Białowieża Forest Rare visitors and the complex history of bear reintroduction to Poland. This article is based on a piece I originally wrote for the Notes from Poland news site. It documents the history, ecology and current status of bears in Białowieża Forest. Białowieża Forest is Europe’s last […]
We recorded a bear in Białowieża Forest!
This beauty is the first bear ever filmed in Białowieża Forest. He stumbled onto one of our experimental plots last Friday. We’re over the moon as it’s the first bear documented in Białowieża Forest in over 50 years. Bears went extinct here at the end of the 19th century due to over-hunting. Apart from a […]
How to spot a wild European bison
Białowieża Site Guide Plants & Animals How to Spot a Wild Bison Where, when and how to find Europe’s largest land animal in Białowieża Forest. Seeing a wild European bison is the highlight of many people’s trip to Białowieża Primeval Forest: Poland’s national animal is the icon of the forest, and has a truly epic […]
The private life of wolves
We have more in common with wolves than meets the eye. And I’ve always felt that if more people knew this, it could help transform public opinion, making the species far easier to protect. But as it is, accurate accounts of these mysterious animals remain rare. This piece on the intimate private lives of wolves […]
The Wolf – Our research
We were recently overjoyed to hear that the Polish National Science Centre is to fund our further study of how wolves affect European ecosystems. This work will be a continuation of the now world-famous research coming out of Yellowstone National Park, where it was well established that the reintroduction of wolves repaired long lost ecological […]
The story of the bison of Białowieża Forest
Białowieża Site Guide Plants & Animals The Story of the European Bison How Europe’s largest land animal went from extinction in the wild to roaming the forest once more. The story of the European bison is perhaps the textbook example of how humans can both decimate and restore nature. Europe’s biggest animal once roamed vast […]
Species threatened by logging in Białowieża Primeval Forest
Site Guide History & Conservation Lesser-known endangered species Beyond the bison: the beetles, birds and fungi that depend on old-growth to survive. The following are species negatively affected by excessive logging and removal of dead wood from Białowieża Forest. Most of these endangered species depend on an abundance of dead wood, which is why they […]
Bison in Poland. Where can we find them?
Site Guide Plants & Animals Bison in Poland Where Europe’s largest land animal lives — and how it came back from the brink. The European bison is Europe’s largest land animal — a species that once roamed almost the entire continent from Russia to Spain. Its numbers dwindled over the last millennium until only two […]