Abstract Loggings in biodiversity hot-spots are perceived as very serious threat to forest species and habitats of high conservation interest. In this paper we scrutinize the spatial impacts of recent loggings in the Polish part of the renowned Bialowieza Forest being the last remaining area of lowland temperate forest with a primeval character in Europe with the status of World Heritage and Natura 2000 site. The loggings have been applied in order to cope with the outbreak of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. We used satellite images to perform cover change detection analysis that delineated areas being logged in Bialowieza Forest between July 2015 and June 2018. Next, we assessed the extent of forest loss in areas with different management regimes as well as landscape-scale impacts. The total area of detected clear-cuts amounted to at least 675 ha, including 229 ha of old-growth stands. Assuming a buffer of 100 m from the edge of cleared forest patches, the cumulative direct and indirect impact of recent logging activities was estimated to amount to at least 4073 ha of affected forest. Logging activities resulted in a 26% increase in fragmentation in the entire Natura 2000 area. We argue that the ecological impact of logging extends beyond the logged areas by modifying the landscape structure and affecting ecosystem functioning on a landscape scale. As such, the recent salvage loggings in the Bialowieza Forest clearly damaged the conservation value of this precious area, not in the least by increasing its fragmentation. To avoid further degradation, we strongly argue for allowing natural tree regeneration on clear cuts and also for the extension of Bialowieza National Park to cover the entire forested area.

中文翻译：

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欧洲最后一片原始低地森林的砍伐影响是否被低估了？比亚沃维耶扎森林的保护问题

摘要 生物多样性热点地区的伐木被视为对具有高度保护意义的森林物种和栖息地的严重威胁。在本文中，我们仔细研究了著名的比亚沃维耶扎森林的波兰部分近期伐木的空间影响，该森林是欧洲具有原始特征的低地温带森林的最后剩余区域，具有世界遗产和自然 2000 遗址的地位。已应用伐木以应对云杉树皮甲虫 Ips Typgraphus 的爆发。我们使用卫星图像进行覆盖变化检测分析，划定了 2015 年 7 月至 2018 年 6 月期间比亚沃维耶扎森林的采伐区域。接下来，我们评估了不同管理制度地区的森林损失程度以及景观规模影响。检测到的林地总面积至少为 675 公顷，其中包括 229 公顷的老林。假设距离被砍伐的森林斑块边缘有 100 m 的缓冲区，估计近期伐木活动的累积直接和间接影响至少为 4073 公顷受影响的森林。伐木活动导致整个 Natura 2000 区域的碎片化程度增加了 26%。我们认为，通过改变景​​观结构和影响景观尺度上的生态系统功能，伐木的生态影响超出了伐木区域。因此，最近在比亚沃维耶扎森林进行的抢救性伐木显然损害了这一宝贵地区的保护价值，至少没有增加其碎片化程度。为避免进一步退化，