Copyright by Agnes Janina Sekowski 2011 The Thesis Committee for Agnes Janina Sekowski Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Identifying Entrenchment Issues in a Protected Areas Dispute: A Case Study of the Białowieża Forest Conflict in Poland APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Craig Campbell Co-Supervisor: Patrick Wong Bella Bychkova-Jordan Identifying Entrenchment Issues in a Protected Areas Dispute: A Case Study of the Białowieża Forest Conflict in Poland by Agnes Janina Sekowski, B.A.; B.B.A. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degrees of Master of Arts and Master of Public Affairs The University of Texas at Austin December 2011 Acknowledgements I would like to thank all those that participated in making my field work possible, especially the administrators at the Center of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) office in Austin, Texas, my co-workers at the Krakow Post, and the local inhabitants and administration of the Białowieża Forest in Poland. Those who made this project possible include Dr. Craig Campbell, who kindly agreed to be my Master’s Thesis Supervisor and gave me incredible insight, support, and direction; Dr. Bella Bychkova-Jordan, who has taught me more about the region I study than any professor to date; Dr. Pat Wong from the LBJ School, for his patience and willingness to help as my thesis Co-Supervisor; Dr. Mary Neuburger, CREEES Director for help in funding my fieldwork; Anna Spysz, former Editor (and my boss) at the Krakow Post who first asked me to cover the Białowieża story; the National Library in Warsaw, Poland; Cristen Rene Andrews for joining me on a return trip to the forest and photographing it; Phyllis Harmon, former CREEES Graduate Coordinator and Allegra Azulay, current CREEES Graduate Coordinator for help in submitting paperwork to UT from abroad; as well as all those interviewed and encountered while researching. 2 December 2011 iv Abstract Identifying Entrenchment Issues in a Protected Areas Dispute: A Case Study of the Białowieża Forest Conflict in Poland Agnes Janina Sekowski, M.A./ M.P.Aff. The University of Texas at Austin, 2011 Supervisor: Craig Campbell Co-Supervisor: Patrick Wong The Białowieża Forest (or Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarusian) is considered the last primeval forest in lowland Europe, straddling the border of Poland and Belarus in a 41/59 percent split. This project investigates the various issues involved in the most recent negotiations process that attempted to incorporate non-park areas of the Białowieża Forest in Poland into the Białowieża National Park. It seeks to understand the entrenchment of stakeholders on opposing sides of this protected areas dispute that has been underway since the area was first designated a Nature Reserve in 1921. An interview-based case study approach was used to explore prevalent themes and emerging narratives of the conflict, such as stakeholder relationships, competing conservation ideologies, economic factors, social tensions, administrative issues, and media portrayal. v Table of Contents List of Tables ...........................................................................................................x List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xi List of Illustrations ................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Research Design and Methodology .......................................................4 Background and Significance of Topic...........................................................4 Research Method and Design .........................................................................8 Data Collection Process ................................................................................10 Theoretical framework for analysis ..............................................................12 Issues with research design ...........................................................................14 Chapter 3: Belarus’ “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” .....................................................18 Administrative Structure ...............................................................................18 Administrative Department of the President’s Office .........................21 “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” National Park ............................................22 Tourism, Access, and Attractions in the Park .............................24 Area of the National Park ...........................................................25 Preservation Zones in the Park ...................................................27 Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry ................31 Local Population and Environmental NGOs .......................................31 Area Land-use and Scientific Research ...............................................33 Collaboration between Belarus and Poland ..................................................34 Interview Narratives about Belarus’ forest ...................................................38 Historical account of Belarus’ forest ...................................................39 Forestry working experience in Belarus ..............................................40 Chapter 4: Administrative Structure and Stakeholders in Poland .........................43 Poland’s “Puszcza Białowieska” ..................................................................43 vi Access to the Białowieża Forest ..........................................................45 Administrative Overview .....................................................................45 UNESCO World Heritage Site ...................................................46 Ministry of the Environment .......................................................47 State Forests National Forest Holding ........................................47 Białowieża National Park ...........................................................52 Natura 2000 European Ecological Network ...............................56 Environmental and Ecologically-focused NGOs .................................58 Tourism, Local Population, and Scientific Researchers ......................58 Chapter 5: Key Events of the Białowieża Forest Conflict .....................................61 Park expansion (1996) ..................................................................................61 Contract for the Puszcza (2000) ....................................................................64 DANCEE Białowieża Forest Project (1999-2003) .......................................67 Changes in the Law on Environmental Protection (2001) ............................68 Presidential working committee (2006) and Recent Negotiations (2008-2010) ..............................................................................................................68 First round proposals............................................................................69 Second round proposals .......................................................................71 Campaign to change the law (2010) .............................................................76 Chapter 6: Prevalent Themes in the Białowieża Forest Conflict ...........................79 Establishing relationships .............................................................................81 Relationships between various stakeholder groups .............................81 Defining the labels ......................................................................83 Interviewee descriptions of sides and relationships ....................87 How each side describes members of the other side...................88 Declaring oneself “For” or “Against” park expansion ...............90 Describing relationships to the forest ..................................................94 Emotional, familial, and professional ties...................................95 The role of heritage, future generations, and entitlement ...........98 Conservation Ideology ................................................................................102 vii Passive Conservation .........................................................................103 Bark beetle ecology...................................................................105 Role of deadwood .....................................................................106 Biodiversity & rare species .......................................................108 The look and feel of a natural forest .........................................109 Active Conservation...........................................................................113 Rights of access.........................................................................115 Biodiversity & rare species .......................................................116 Felling .......................................................................................117 Bark beetles as pests .................................................................119 Hunting .....................................................................................120 The look and feel of a managed forest ......................................121 Economic factors ........................................................................................124