Białowieża Geobotanical Station of the University of Warsaw joins OPUS 28 project on the environmental history of the Białowieża Forest

01 08 2025

As part of the OPUS 28 call organized by the National Science Centre, funding has been awarded to the project “Taming the Primeval: Water, Landscape and Human Impact in the Forest”, implemented by an interdisciplinary consortium composed of the Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (leader), the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, and the University of Warsaw.

 

The project team includes Dr. Marcelina Zimny from the Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, who is responsible for analyses of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), and microcharcoal aimed at reconstructing past environmental conditions of the Białowieża Forest.

 

The main objective of the project is to investigate how human activity, both before and after the introduction of modern forest management, has influenced the shaping of the landscape, hydrological systems, and biodiversity of the Białowieża Forest over the last 300 years. The research will focus on a less obvious but crucial aspect: hydrological transformations within the forest and their long-term ecological consequences. It will also support improved predictions of the forest’s responses to future challenges, such as climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure