Poland's decision to beef up logging in the country's protected Bialowieza Forest — a UNESCO World Heritage site — is in breach of European Union law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday, the eve of World Heritage Day.

"The forest management operations concerning the Puszcza Bialowieska Natura 2000 site that have been undertaken by Poland infringe EU law," the ECJ said in a statement.

The ECJ said that the Polish government must stop logging "without delay" or face financial penalties. Poland said in a statement that it would respect the ruling by the bloc's top court.

The final ruling was in line with a preliminary decision released by the ECJ in February.

The European Commission took Poland to court in 2017 arguing that the forest, that boasts unique plant and animal life, was being destroyed. Logging in the Bialowieza Forest began a year earlier.

Read more: Can the EU save Poland's Bialowieza forest?.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down Pest control - or profit? In March 2016, the Polish government decided to triple the amount of logging allowed in the Bialowieza forest. Since then, at least 10,000 trees have been felled. The government says the reason for the deforestation was to fight an infestation of bark beetles. But scientists say the insects only affect conifers. Critics say pest control is just a cover for those who stand to benefit economically.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down The alleged 'baddie' The bark beetle loves to eat spruce, which is known as the queen of the conifers. But scientists say we shouldn't fell spruce trees, even if they're infected with beetles. They provide a habitat for worms, insects and fungi, and the dead tree trunks are used as nesting sites by woodpeckers.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down A large scale operation The Bialowieza forest spans Poland and Belarus. 35 percent of the forest on the Polish side of the border is made up of protected national parks and nature reserves. The government says logging only happens in cultivated areas, rather than natural old-growth forest. But activists say the clearance is far more extensive.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down Last of its kind The European bison is the last surviving species of wild cattle on the continent - and the Bialowieza forest is home to Europe’s largest free-roaming herd. As early as 1795, the Russian Tsar put the area under strict protection. Poachers were even sentenced to death by poisoning.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down Colorful inhabitant The Syrian woodpecker is one of 1,200 animal species living in the forest. Originally from the Middle East, it arrived in Europe around a century ago with a taste for cherries and nuts.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down Save the trees For hundreds of years, the 150,000-hectare forest was left in peace. And it should stay that way, environmentalists say. The Polish government has closed off the logging area in an attempt to avoid disturbances from activists. And police and forest management security personnel supervise any protests to make sure activists don't chain themselves to the machinery.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down A warning from the EU The clearing of Bialowieza forest has also become an issue outside of Poland. Recently, activists in Berlin protested against it. Now even the EU is getting involved, warning that logging activity may be added to the ongoing EU treaty violation proceedings against Poland if the country doesn't stick to the commission's deforestation ban.

Bialowieza forest: Polish treasure gets chopped down Trees are friends This young man's method of protesting won't get him into trouble. But seven other activists have arrested after interfering with wood harvesters. They face penalties and imprisonment due to a "breach of the peace". Author: Nastassja Shtrauchler (rr, bo)



'Huge victory'

The chief executive of environmental organization ClientEarth, James Thornton, said the ruling was a "huge victory for all defenders of Bialowieza Forest, hundreds of people who were heavily engaged in saving this unique, ancient woodland from unthinkable destruction."

"This is not the end of our fight. The ruling is just on paper for now: we need to see concrete action … We believe that this World Heritage site and one of the last primeval forests in Europe deserves it."

"Today is a clear victory for Europe's wildlife," said Andreas Baumueller, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) European Policy Office. "Nature cannot be ignored and neither can EU law."

The European bison is among species that make their home in the Bialowieza forest

Read more: In Poland's Bialowieza National Park, the woodchips are flying

Chainsaw massacre

Last year, the EU's high court issued an injunction forbidding Poland from continuing to allow logging in Bialowieza, Europe's oldest forest. But in an unprecedented move, Poland's government ignored the order and continued to allow logging.

The entire Bialowieza forest covers around 60,000 hectares (148,260 acres) in eastern Poland and stretches into Belarus with a total area of about 150,000 hectares. Bialowieza is one of the last remaining parts of the primal forest that once stretched across the northern European lowlands.

Read more: Polish police break up protest against Bialowieza forest logging

Although designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, only parts of the Polish section of the forest are protected as a natural park, while in neighboring Belarus, the entire forest is protected. After Tuesday's ECJ ruling, ClientEarth's Thornton said the Polish government should consider enlarging the national park so it encompasses the whole of Bialowieza Forest.

Read more: Poland's chainsaw massacre

A boy attends a protest against the cutting of trees in the Bialowieza Forest

kw/rc (AFP, dpa)