Defenders welcome the approval of the reform of national parks: Slovakia is moving into a circle of developed countries
The State Nature Protection Agency (SOP) of the Slovak Republic welcomes the approval of the reform of national parks by the parliament. According to the SOP, the reform and its measures are pushing Slovakia into a circle of developed countries in the field of nature protection. National parks can thus take the form they deserve, conservationists say.
“The historical anomaly in the national park administration has been eliminated by this step. By approving the proposed reform, we have embarked on a path of sustainable protection for our most valuable territories, “said ŠOP CEO Dušan Karaska. He added that the unified administration and legal personality of national parks will bring not only a high quality of nature and landscape protection, but also the socio-economic development of the affected regions.
The proposed amendment to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act during the transfer of land according to the SOP guarantees the preservation of all contracts tied to the taken over land. These are, for example, supplier-customer contracts, lease contracts or existing contracts concluded with beekeepers, for example. The SOP will take over all foresters and workers who manage forests in national parks. They also maintain their current evaluation. At the same an advisory, professional, advisory and initiating body of the National Park Council will be established in the administration of national parks, the conservationists will recommend.
On Tuesday evening (December 14), members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic approved the reform of national parks. The administration of state land in the national parks is to be transferred to the Ministry of the Environment. The transfer of land under the envirorezort is to ensure a unified management of state land in the territory of national parks.
The transfer of state land will take place only after the zoning of national parks. From 1 April 2022, the administration of state lands will be transferred to separate administrations of national parks in the territory of the Tatra National Park, the Pieniny National Park and the Slovak Paradise National Park. As of this date, the administration of state lands in the fourth and fifth levels of protection also passes under the national parks. The transfer of state administration in the third and lower level of state-owned protection is conditioned by zoning.