A project aimed at restoring natural water conditions in the Białowieża Forest, implemented by PTOP, has recently been launched. This is a good opportunity to highlight the important role that high-quality spatial data play in such initiatives.

As early as 2015, a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) for the Białowieża Forest was developed as part of the ForBioSensing project. The model was designed to represent the actual terrain as accurately as possible. Thanks to this, it enables precise analyses of small-scale landforms and hydrological processes, helping to identify areas of surface runoff and suitable locations for constructing barriers on artificial watercourses (drainage ditches).

The data and products developed within the ForBioSensing project subsequently became an important component of further hydrological analyses conducted in the Białowieża Forest and indirectly contributed to the development of a vision for its hydrological restoration. Today, it is clear that investments in modern technologies and high-resolution spatial data deliver tangible results: they support activities aimed at restoring the forest's natural hydrography.

PTOP project "Bringing Water Back to the Białowieża Forest":
www.ptop.org.pl

Publication – Vision for the Hydrological Restoration of the Białowieża Forest:
https://www.ptop.org.pl/images/stories/projekty/bialowieza_last_forest/Wizja_renaturyzacji_hydrologicznej_Puszczy_Bialowieskiej.pdf

Prepared by: W. Duranowska, Ł. Kuberski
Photo: PTOP