Preface

Nature Conservation 2023 — 5. 6. 2023 — Preface — Print article in pdf

Preface

Preface

author: Michael Hošek

You can read on possible Czech approach to the EU Nature Restoration Law implementation, specifically what the obligation implies for protected area network and for forests. It is a piece of legislation having a good chance, after having been passed, of becoming groundbreaking in the field just as the EU Habitats Directive in 1992. From a point of view of implementation, the latter has been however after all living evidenced by the article on further expansion of the Natura 2000 network in the Czech Republic in 2022. 

Information on revising the legislation on threatened species is no less interesting. This is an agenda the individual countries to a large extent deal themselves with. Therefore, every such approach is original and can inspire others. 

An extensive forest fire in Bohemian Switzerland National Park should be mentioned among the serious issues of 2022. A combination of spatial impact of the European spruce bark beetle plague in non-native Norway spruce growths, a long period of the drought and human carelessness changed a tenth of the National Park in a burn-out area and jeopardized municipalities and local people there. The fire also reminded us of that such affair can repeat itself and shall repeat itself more often, inter alia, because of climate change gaining power despite if there is a protected area or the non-protected landscape. The fire became an affair moving the political world and mass media for a major part of the year. Finally it hopefully succeed in explaining that the National Park´s target, i.e. preservation of natural processes across the majority of its territory will help to change the burn-out area soon into green spaces more resistant against similar events. In addition, they will allow to sufficiently in detail monitor succession within the area and therefore, to learn more about the power of and the limit in natural processes for the future. As well as that the fire did not emerge a priori as a consequence of the National Park´s existence. 

This year the EUROPARC Federation celebrates the 50th anniversary. During the half-century, the Federation grew into an organisation with approx. 400 members in 40 countries being the greatest professional body of protected area managers not only in Europe, but probably also globally. In then Europe, the idea was clear – to build a platform for communication and cooperation in the region with a large number of relatively small countries, significant language barriers and bipolarity into the two worlds. Relevancy of the mission has been unchanged and identically strong also today. Neither in the European Union, nor in the wider region there is a legal or other enough strong framework for an active cooperation among protected areas. Thus, the EUROPARC Federation has been filling the gap which may be in the current globalized world hardly understandable. That makes all the more important that on 24 February 2022 “the European world” again divided, namely by Russian aggression in Ukraine. We can only hope that the conflict will soon finish and Ukraine will have possibility of again developing itself without threats. The EUROPARC Federation has been and will be offering its support. 

Internationally shared values and active communication are among tools to be confronted with disinformation and direct threats to democracy. Issuing this compilation contributes to the above as well as yourselves by reading it. 

Wishing you enriching reading
Michael Hošek
EUROPARC Federation President