The proposed zoning plan for Národný park Nízke Tatry (NAPANT), prepared by the Ministry of the Environment, favors extensive logging in the park, threatens the habitat of the capercaillie, and would open the door to hunting even in the strictest protection zones. This is claimed by the organizations My sme les, Prales, WWF Slovensko, Aevis, SOS/BirdLife Slovensko, and Zelená väčšina, which have submitted a joint comment on the proposed new zoning and are calling on the public to support it.
“We view this proposal critically, as it looks more like a plan to create a forestry enterprise focused primarily on timber extraction rather than an effort to improve the protection of the national park,” warned Milan Olekšák from the initiative.
According to the group, the most significant issue with the proposed zoning is that it would allow logging on the majority of NAPANT’s territory. Conservationists warn that not a single valley would remain fully protected from chainsaw interventions. The proposal is allegedly inconsistent with current legislation and Slovakia’s international commitments and would fail to provide sufficient protection for areas of European importance.
“If a forest is not strictly protected, devastating logging can easily take place there. More than 67 percent of NAPANT would remain unprotected, and protection would not be guaranteed for all old-growth forests,” added former NAPANT director Marek Kuchta.
The initiative also finds it alarming that protection would be reduced in ski slope areas, where the use of chemicals and artificial lighting would newly be permitted, and where the transfer of state-owned land into private hands would be made easier. At the same time, other locations such as forests and meadows are being reassigned to the lowest level of protection despite there being no justification for such a move.
“The problematic pattern seen in the zoning of national parks is repeating itself in NAPANT. It threatens funding from Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, weakens protection of NATURA 2000 sites, and lowers protection to the minimum level in areas where there is no reason to do so. Slovakia is thus exposed to the risk of losing funds and facing fines. It ignores the very purpose of zoning — to ensure high-quality protection of our national parks,” emphasized Lucia Szabová from the Zelená väčšina initiative.
Source: TASR
