The European Court of Justice has ruled that Poland violated EU law by ordering large-scale logging in the Bialowieza forest, one of Europe's oldest woodlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"Today is a clear victory for Europe’s wildlife," said Andreas Baumueller of the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) European Policy Office.  "Nature cannot be ignored and neither can EU law."

The Bialowieza forest straddles Poland's eastern border with Belarus, and is the last example of the type of woodland that once covered Europe's northern lowlands.  Europe's largest herd of bison, which are nearly extinct, live in the Bialowieza forest, as do rare woodpeckers.

Poland's far right government ordered a three-fold increase logging in 2016, supposedly to stop a beetle infestation.  The European Commission took Poland to court a year later, arguing that the logging not only was destroying the habitat hosting unique plant and animal life but also violated European Union law on conservation.  The EU's High Court ordered Poland to stop the chainsaws, but Warsaw ignored the order.

This time, the Polish government claims it will respect the European Court of Justice ruling that it must stop logging "without delay" or face financial penalties.  But the environmental group ClientEarth wants more assurances.

"This is not the end of our fight.  The ruling is just on paper for now: we need to see concrete action," said ClientEarth's chief executive James Thornton.  "We believe that this World Heritage site and one of the last primeval forests in Europe deserves it."

Mr. Thornton said the Polish government should consider enlarging an existing national park so it encompasses the whole of Bialowieza Forest.