On the steep, dark slopes of the Carpathian mountains, 300-year-old beech trees scrape the sky in one of Europe's last remaining virgin forests, spared from any human intervention for centuries. These are “unique forests,” home to thousands of brown bears, lynxes and wolves, “mammals nearly extinct in western and central European countries,” the Royal Dutch Society for Nature Conservation notes.
在喀爾巴阡山脈陡峭黑暗的斜坡上，有300年歷史的山毛櫸樹拔地參天，這也是歐洲僅存的原始林之一，數世紀倖免於人力侵入。荷蘭皇家自然保育協會指出，這些「獨特的森林」，是數以千計棕熊、猞猁、狼，乃至於「西歐和中歐國家幾乎絕跡的哺乳類動物」的家園。
But as demand for timber surges, the last great swathes of ancient forest in Europe are at risk, say green campaigners.
但環保人士說，隨著木材需求殷切，歐洲最後這一大片古老森林已瀕臨危險。
Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely recently pledged to beef up protection of what he called a “treasure” of biodiversity. The move came after President Traian Basescu named the forests a vital asset for Romania's image abroad.
羅馬尼亞環境部長波伯利最近承諾，將加強保護他所謂「珍貴的」生物多樣性。這項措施是在伯塞斯庫總統明示這片原始林是「羅馬尼亞海外形象的重要資產」之後推出的。
But turning this vow into reality may be tough in a country struggling with a creaking legal system and deep-rooted corruption at local level.
但在一個法律制度分崩離析，基層貪腐根深柢固的國家，要落實這項宣誓並不容易。
Primary or old forests, which include some of the world's most species-rich ecosystems, account for 36 percent (1.4 billion hectares) of the world's forest area, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
據聯合國糧農組織指出，這片原始林或古老的森林，其中包括了世上物種最豐富的生態系統，占全世界森林面積的36％（約14億公頃）。
In Sinca, central Romania, the forest hosts imposing century-old indigenous 45- or 50-meter trees, interspersed with striplings and fallen trunks where innumerable species of insects and plant have made their home.
在羅馬尼亞中部的辛卡鎮，森林裡有高達45公尺、甚至50公尺的百歲本土巨木，間或穿插著新長出的新枝和倒下的樹幹，無數昆蟲和植物物種以此為家。
In Europe, these wild forests have disappeared except in Scandinavia and Eastern countries. In Romania, they are vast, even though they have shrunk from some two million hectares in the 19th century to around 250,000 hectares today, according to official figures.
在歐洲，除了斯堪的納維亞半島和東歐國家，這些野生森林已經消失。根據官方數字，在羅馬尼亞，野生林地占地廣袤，雖然面積已經從19世紀約達200萬公頃，縮小到今天的 25萬公頃左右。
“Over 80 percent of Romania's virgin forests are not protected in any way at the moment and are at risk of being legally destroyed,” the WWF said last month. “Once virgin forests are exploited, the genetic and ecological assets that have accumulated for years in their ecosystems are irremediably lost,” Victor Giurgiu, a member of the Romanian Academy, the highest scientific body in the country, said.
世界自然基金會上個月表示：「目前羅馬尼亞原始林逾80％未以任何形式加以保護，因此即使被摧毀也不能繩之以法。」羅馬尼亞國家最高科學機構「科學院」成員朱爾久則說：「原始林一旦遭到毒手，其生態系統在遺傳和生態積累多年的資產將一去不回。」
A petition urging the Romanian government “to take urgent and efficient protection measures” garnered some 100,000 signatures in less than a month. Under pressure, Borbely pledged in November to finalize by the end of the year legislation putting all virgin forests under complete protection. “No exploitation whatsoever will be allowed,” he said, after signing a memorandum of understanding with the WWF. Even so, the process will probably not be in place before next spring, Costel Bucur, WWF Forest Programme Coordinator said.
一項要求羅馬尼亞政府「緊急採取有效保護措施」的請願書，不到一個月就獲得10萬人連署。波伯利在民意壓力下，11月間承諾今年底前完成立法，以保護所有原始林。在和世界自然基金會簽署諒解備忘錄後，他說，「絕不容任何不當開採行為。」即便如此，世界自然基金會森林計畫協調員布庫爾說，整個流程在明年春天之前可能無法走完。
“The fact that after many years the minister has made a clear public commitment to protect all virgin forests is a big success to be attributed to the WWF campaign -- but we'll have to see if these measures are implemented,” Gabriel Paun, the head of environmental group Agent Green, said.
環保團體「綠色代言人」負責人潘恩說：「走過這麼多年，部長終於公開作出明確的宣誓，要保護所有原始林，這個事實本身就是一大成就，而這都要歸功於世界自然基金會的行動。但這些措施是否能付諸實施，仍有待觀察。」
WWF said in a statment announcing the agreement, “Virgin forests are an important part of Europe's natural patrimony and were lost mostly due to bad management. Their scientific, educational, and ecological value is undisputed.”
世界自然基金會在宣布該協議時發表聲明說：「原始林是歐洲自然遺產的重要一環，過去多半由於管理不善而消失，其科學、教育、生態價值毋庸置疑。」
Junior environment minister Cristian Apostol said that thanks to tougher controls, seizures of illegally logged wood soared from 189,892 cubic meters in all 2010 to 134,883 cubic meters in the first six months of 2011 alone. But connivance at local level is a problem. “We had to bring in police officers from other regions in order to avoid complicity at local level,” said Apostol. Prosecutions, too, are long-winded affairs. Since 1990, only 0.5 percent of cases brought to justice have received a final verdict.
環境部次長阿帕斯托說，在嚴格管控下，緝獲非法砍伐的木材，從2010年的18萬9892立方公尺遽升到今年上半年的13萬4883立方公尺。但地方階層縱容盜伐林木仍是棘手的問題。阿帕斯托說：「我們不得不從其他地區調派警官，以避免地方狼狽為奸。」但刑事訴訟曠日費時，自1990年以來，依法審理的案件只有0.5％判決定讞。
In this photo, Romanians are pictured in a virgin forest in the Charpatian mountains, near Sinca village, 230 km north from Bucharest.
在這張照片中，兩名羅馬尼亞人徜徉在辛卡鎮附近的喀爾巴阡山脈原始林中，辛卡在首都布加勒斯特北部230公里。（法新社）