Better condition for Wilderness in Czech Republic!
The Czech Parliament recently approved new rules and conditions for National Parks, inproving the conditions for more Wilderness!
On the 4th of April representatives of the Czech Parliament over-voted the veto of the President of the Czech Republic and approved the new law and confirmed the importance of Wilderness and soft tourism.
According to this law the main mission of National Parks is now the protection of wild nature – Wilderness at the size of more than half of the National Parks total area. The new law however is missing a definitive time schedule and the minimum size of Wilderness. This is a threat that potential important Wilderness can also lose its protection, just to fit to the request that Wilderness will be covering more that half of the park territory.
To identify Wilderness in National Parks is the task of the Ministry of Environment and Parks Directors. Their task is first of all to develop principles and rules for zoning and management. Outcome of this work will be areas allocated for the Wilderness.
The new law was widely supported by number of Czech and international personalities, hundreds of scientists and many international nature conservation organisations, including our friends from Hnuta Duha, Wild Europe and obviously by the European Wilderness Society.
The new rules means an improvement of nature conservation and particularly Wilderness. Large areas of each National Park will be allocated to Wilderness and in the same moment this areas will not be excluded for people wishing to experience rare Wilderness. The new law however is not saying when this should be done, in 5 years or in 100 years? Minister and park directors now have to set up as soon as possible a timescale for this process – Wilderness and careful tourism…
said Jiří Koželouh, Programme Director of non-profit organisation Hnutí DUHA.
