Abordnet

                ====================================                 BISON - THE LAST HOPE FOR THE FOREST                 ==================================== BISON stands for Bialowieza International Support Organizations Network. It is a biocentric organization dedicated exclusively to the protection of the Bialowieza Forest, the LAST LOW-LAND OLD-GROWTH FOREST IN EUROPE. The Bialowieza Forsest, an area of approximately 1,500 square kilometers located on the Polish - Belorussian border, is the remains of the deciduous forest that once covered nearly entire European continent from the Atlantic Ocean up to Ural Mountains. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE AND WILDEST PLACES IN EUROPE. This incredible ecosystem contains over 5,000 plant species and 12,500 animal species, many of which have gone extinct elsewhere. It is habitat for many rare animals such as white-tailed eagle, wild boar, red deer, elk, moose, lynx and wolf to name but a few. Finally, it is home to the last free-roaming herd of Europe's largest mammal, the European bison - the symbol of the Bialowieza Forest. Despite its paramount importance, only 10% of the Polish part of the forest, about 47 square kilometers, have been under protection for the last 70 years, while the rest of the forest has been a subject to escalating logging especially since the collapse of the Communist regime. BISON was founded in October of 1994 as a last hope in what has become a desperate fight, by Polish scientists and environmentalists, to bring the issue of the distruction of this invaluable wilderness to the attention of the international community. To this end, our main _object_ive is to organize and coordinate international action campaign, as well as built a coalition with various international groups and individuals as means to exert a political pressure on the Polish Government to change its present, highly anti-environmental policy, immediately halt logging, and expand the National Park to the entire area of the Polish part of the Bialowieza Forest in order to ensure its long-term survival. BISON  NEEDS  YOUR  HELP!!!