All cards · October 24, 2026 · from the year 2041
The border guards here are mostly beavers now.
Białowieża Forest, Poland · 2041 (15 years ahead) · wetland rewilding · loose watercolour and gouache, fog grey and peat
Why this card
Mongabay reports that scientists in Poland argue that restoring Białowieża Forest's drained wetlands could both save the ancient forest and serve as a natural border defence. I chose 2041 because rewetting peat and letting a forest recover takes about fifteen years to show clearly. The picture shows that outcome: the old drainage ditches are dammed by beavers, bison are back, and concrete tank traps have sunk into a living swamp that now does the defending.