（圖解：1500平方公里的森林中約有 60% 位于白俄羅斯一側(cè)）
（本文發(fā)布于2021年12月，作者為華沙大學(xué)生物學(xué)教授波格丹·雅羅謝維奇、波蘭科學(xué)院哺乳動(dòng)物研究所生物地理學(xué)研究負(fù)責(zé)人米哈烏·日米霍斯基等）

Poland is planning to build a wall along its border with Belarus, primarily to block migrants fleeing the Middle East and Asia. But the wall would also divide the vast and ancient Bia?owie?a Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site which harbours more than 12,000 animal species and includes the largest remnants of prim forest that once covered most of lowland Europe.

波蘭正計(jì)劃在其與白俄羅斯的邊界上修建一道墻，主要是為了阻止逃離中東和亞洲的移民。但這道墻也將遼闊而古老的比亞沃維耶扎森林分隔了開來，那里是聯(lián)合國教科文組織評(píng)出的世界遺產(chǎn)，為超過12000種動(dòng)物提供了居所，還包括曾經(jīng)覆蓋歐洲大部分低地的最大原始森林的殘余部分。

Frontiers like this are of conservation priority because they often host unique biodiversity and ecosystems but are increasingly threatened by border fortification. We are experts in forest ecosystems and two of us combined have more than three decades of experience working in Bia?owie?a, at the intersections of forest, plant and bird ecology. In the journal Science, we recently described how the border wall planned by Poland would jeopardise this trans-boundary forest.

像這樣的邊境是保育的優(yōu)先事項(xiàng)，因?yàn)樗鼈兺ǔ碛歇?dú)特的生物多樣性和生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，但越來越多地受到邊境地區(qū)防御工事的威脅。我們是森林生態(tài)系統(tǒng)方面的專家，我們中的兩個(gè)人在比亞沃維耶扎森林擁有超過三十年的工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)，從事的是森林、植物和鳥類生態(tài)學(xué)的交叉領(lǐng)域。在《科學(xué)》雜志上，我們最近描述了波蘭規(guī)劃的邊界墻將會(huì)如何危及這片跨邊界森林。

The core of Bia?owie?a is characterised by old-growth forest rich in dead and decaying wood on which mosses, lichens, fungi, insects and also many vertebrates depend. Big animals such as the European bison, boar, lynx and wolf inhabit the forest on both sides of the border.

比亞沃維耶扎的核心是以原始森林為特征的，富含枯死和正在腐爛的木頭，而苔蘚、地衣、真菌、昆蟲以及很多脊椎動(dòng)物都籍此維生。歐洲野牛、野豬、猞猁、狼等大型動(dòng)物棲息在邊境兩側(cè)的森林中。



（圖解：比亞沃維耶扎森林富含枯死和腐爛的木材）

A wall would block the movement of these animals, for instance preventing brown bears from recolonising the Polish side of the forest where they were recently observed after a long absence. The wall would also risk plant invasions, and would mean noise and light pollution that will displace wildlife. The influx of people and vehicles, and already accumulated garbage (mainly plastics) also pose risks, including disease – we already know that humans can transmit COVID to wild species, like deer.

一道墻會(huì)阻斷這些動(dòng)物的活動(dòng)，比如說，會(huì)阻止棕熊重新移居到波蘭一側(cè)的森林中，最近它們?cè)谀抢锉挥^察到了，而它們?cè)谀抢镆呀?jīng)消失了很久。這堵墻還會(huì)帶來植物入侵的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，還會(huì)導(dǎo)致噪音和光污染取代了野生動(dòng)物。人和車輛的大量涌入，以及已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)的堆積的垃圾（主要是塑料制品）也會(huì)帶來風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，包括疾?。何覀円呀?jīng)知道人類可以把新冠病毒傳染給野生物種，比如鹿。

Poland’s wall will be 5.5 metres high, solid, with barbed wire at the top, and will replace a 130 km provisional 2.5m high razor-wire fence built during summer to autumn 2021. This wall will be high enough to affect low-flying birds, such as grouse.

波蘭的墻將會(huì)有5.5米高，很堅(jiān)固，頂部裝有帶刺鐵絲網(wǎng)，它將會(huì)取代在2021 年夏季至秋季期間建造的長130公里、高2.5米的臨時(shí)鐵絲網(wǎng)圍欄。這道墻足夠高，足以影響在低空飛行的鳥類，比如松雞。

Impeding wildlife more than people

對(duì)野生動(dòng)物造成的阻礙多過人

Poland’s proposed wall resembles the barrier built along parts of the US-Mexico border. Research there based on camera-traps shows that such walls deter people less than they impede wildlife. Animals affected by the US-Mexico barrier include jaguars, pygmy owls, and a bison herd whose food and water were split by the border.

波蘭提議的這道墻類似沿美墨邊境部分區(qū)段建造的隔離墻。在那里開展的基于相機(jī)陷阱的研究表明，這樣的墻對(duì)人的威懾力，不如對(duì)野生動(dòng)物的阻礙大。受美墨隔離墻影響的動(dòng)物包括美洲豹、鵂鹠（譯注：即侏儒貓頭鷹，鴟鸮科）和某個(gè)野牛群，它們吃的食物和飲用的水被這道邊界分隔開了。

The fences across Europe are highly varied, and no mitigation standards exist. A razor-wire fence, constructed in 2015 by Slovenia along its border with Croatia, killed deer and herons with a mortality rate of 0.12 ungulates (hoofed mammals) per kilometre of fence. Along the Hungary-Croatia border, mortality in the first 28 months following construction of a fence was higher, at 0.47 ungulates per kilometre. Large congregations of red deer were also observed at the fence-line which could spread disease and upset the predator-prey dynamic by making them easier for wolves to catch.

歐洲各地的圍欄千差萬別，也不存在減少損傷的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。2015 年，斯洛文尼亞在與克羅地亞接壤的邊境上修建了一道鐵絲網(wǎng)，由此殺死了鹿和蒼鷺，每公里圍欄的死亡率為 0.12 只有蹄類動(dòng)物（有蹄的哺乳動(dòng)物）。在匈牙利-克羅地亞邊境，修建圍欄后的頭28個(gè)月死亡率較高，為每公里0.47只有蹄類動(dòng)物。在圍欄線上還觀察到有大規(guī)模的馬鹿聚集，它們可能會(huì)傳播疾病，也因?yàn)楦菀妆焕遣蹲蕉騺y了掠食者和獵物間的動(dòng)態(tài)關(guān)系。



（圖解：赤鹿（歐洲馬鹿），比亞沃維耶扎森林狼最愛的食物之一）

People can and will use ramps, tunnels, and alternative routes by air and sea, whereas wildlife often cannot. Walls have a big human cost too. They may redirect people, and to a lesser extent wildlife, to more dangerous routes, for example, river crossings or deserts, which may intersect with areas of high natural or cultural value.

人們有能力使用也愿意使用斜坡、隧道以及空中和海上的替代路線，而野生動(dòng)物通常沒有這個(gè)能力。筑墻也要耗費(fèi)巨大的人力成本。它們可能會(huì)將人以及野生動(dòng)物（程度較輕）重新導(dǎo)向更危險(xiǎn)的路線，比如河流交叉口或沙漠，這些路線可能會(huì)貫穿具有很高自然或文化價(jià)值的地區(qū)。

Physical barriers such as fences and walls now line 32,000 kilometres of borders worldwide with significant increases over the past few decades. According to one recent study, nearly 700 mammal species could now find it difficult to cross into different countries, thwarting their adaptation to climate change. The fragmentation of populations and habitats means reduced gene flow within species and less resilient ecosystems.

圍欄和墻這類物理屏障現(xiàn)在遍布于全球3.2萬公里的邊界上，而且在過去幾十年中顯著增加。根據(jù)最近的一項(xiàng)研究，現(xiàn)在有近700種哺乳動(dòng)物很難進(jìn)入不同的國家，從而阻礙了它們對(duì)氣候變化的適應(yīng)。種群和棲息地的碎片化，意味著物種內(nèi)部的基因流動(dòng)減少以及生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的復(fù)原能力降低。

Border security over climate action

邊境安全高于氣候行動(dòng)

According to the Transnational Institute, wealthy nations are prioritising border security over climate action, which contravenes pledges made at COP26 such as protecting the world’s forests. Some of the 257 World Heritage forests are now releasing more carbon than they absorb, but Bia?owie?a Forest is still a healthy, well-connected landscape. Poland’s border wall would put this at risk.

據(jù)跨國研究院的說法，在優(yōu)先事項(xiàng)上，富國將邊境安全置于氣候行動(dòng)之上，這違背了在第26屆聯(lián)合國氣候變化大會(huì)（2021年11月）上做出的保護(hù)全球森林等承諾。在257 處世界遺產(chǎn)森林中，現(xiàn)在有一部分釋放的碳比它們吸收的還要多，但比亞沃維耶扎森林仍是一個(gè)健康且血統(tǒng)上佳的景觀。波蘭的邊界墻將使它處于險(xiǎn)境。

The construction of such walls also tends to bypass or be at odds with environmental laws. They due conservation investment and hamper cross-boundary cooperation. It was already hard for us to collaborate with fellow scientists from Belarus – the new wall will make cross-border scientific work even harder.

這種墻的建造往往也會(huì)繞過環(huán)境法規(guī)，或與之相左。他們貶低保育類投資并阻礙跨境合作。我們已經(jīng)很難與白俄羅斯的科學(xué)家同行進(jìn)行合作了，這道新的墻將會(huì)使跨境科學(xué)工作變得更難開展。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處


It is possible to mitigate the effects of certain border barriers. But that requires, at the very least, identifying at-risk species and habitats, designing fences to minimise ecological harm and targeting mitigation at known wildlife crossing points. It may also mean assisted migration across a barrier for certain species. To our best knowledge no formal assessment of either social or environmental costs has yet been carried out in the case of Poland’s planned wall.

減輕特定邊界障礙造成的影響是有可能的。但至少這需要查明處于危險(xiǎn)中的物種和棲息地，設(shè)計(jì)圍欄時(shí)要最大限度地減少對(duì)生態(tài)的危害，并有針對(duì)性地對(duì)已知野生動(dòng)物的過境點(diǎn)進(jìn)行減少損傷的工作。這可能也意味著，要幫助特定物種跨越障礙遷移。據(jù)我們所知，尚未對(duì)波蘭規(guī)劃的墻造成的社會(huì)成本或環(huán)境成本進(jìn)行正式評(píng)估。

It’s time conservation biologists made themselves heard, particularly when it comes to the issue of border barriers. As climate change threatens to disrupt borders and migratory patterns of people and of wildlife, we will need to reform, not only policies and frxworks, but also how we perceive borders.

現(xiàn)在是保育生物學(xué)家出來發(fā)聲的時(shí)候了，在涉及邊界障礙問題時(shí)就更應(yīng)如此了。由于氣候變化有可能擾亂人類和野生動(dòng)物的邊界以及遷徙模式，所以我們需要改革，不僅要革新政策和參照標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，我們對(duì)邊界的認(rèn)知也要革新。