The committee also adopted, without objection, a decision on the transboundary conservation status of the forest, the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment announced on Friday.
According to the ministry, the decision was made during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea.
The committee welcomed Poland's completion of a long-term management plan for the Polish section of the forest, which extends into neighboring Belarus.
The plan was submitted to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) before being signed by Poland's environment minister on June 19.
The ministry said UNESCO recognized Poland's efforts to protect the forest's hydrological systems, monitor key species, reduce habitat fragmentation and remove forest fencing.
The committee stressed that maintaining ecological continuity across the entire transboundary area remains essential to preserving the forest's universal value, according to the ministry.
It also commended Poland’s work to reduce ecological fragmentation, including analysis of the road network, limiting access to certain roads, planned closures of selected sections, and continued removal of fences.
Poland is due to submit an updated conservation status report to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre by the end of January. The country's position was presented at the meeting by Mariusz Lewicki, Poland's permanent representative to UNESCO.
The management plan for the Polish part of the Białowieża Forest outlines conservation priorities for the next 25 years, through 2051. Its provisions will be incorporated into future nature conservation and forest management plans.
The Białowieża Forest is one of the last and best-preserved primeval forests in the European lowlands and is home to many rare plant and animal species.
It has been on the World Heritage List since 1979, initially with only the Polish section included. The Belarusian part was added in 1992, creating a transboundary site.
Boundaries were adjusted again in 2014. Today, the site covers 56,600 hectares in Poland and 82,300 hectares in Belarus, with a total area of 142,000 hectares and a buffer zone of 166,700 hectares.
The Białowieża Forest is one of 1,248 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 235 natural sites. In 2017, extensive logging carried out by the Polish government in response to what it said was bark beetle infestation, prompted concerns that the forest could lose its World Heritage status and be placed on the Heritage in Danger list.
(pu/gs)
Source: (PAP)