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WCC 2016 Res 034 - Activity Report

Submitted by Martin.Bouda on Fri, 12/15/2017 - 21:54
General Information
Observing protected area norms in the Wild Heart of Europe
IUCN Constituent: 
Ceský svaz ochráncu prírody
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Member
Period covered: 
2018
Geographic scope: 
European Union (EU)
Country/Territory: 
Czech Republic
Germany
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
Agentura ochrany prirody a krajiny CR ( AOPK CR ) / Czech Republic
Ministerstvo zivotního prostredí / Czech Republic
Bund Naturschutz in Bayern / Germany
Pro Natura / Friends of the Earth Switzerland / Switzerland
IUCN Commissions: 
FB17E09E-5094-E611-97F4-005056BA6623
IUCN Secretariat: 
No
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
Hnuti DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic); Administration of Sumava National Park; Municipalities within NP territory
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Education/Communication/Raising awarenessAs described in the previous report, our partners from Hnutí DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic) and members of the scientific community drew up a zonation proposal on the basis of scientific evidence, which indicates that the non-intervention zone should already cover about 50 % of the the park‘s area. This proposal was updated in 2017, as new data became available. During 2018, this proposal was introduced to and discussed with the mayors and representatives of the municipalities within the NP. These are important stake-holders and actors in the zonation consultation process and Management plan preparation and some of them are also , the traditional opponents of nature conservation in the NP. We conducted a total of 15 personal meetings with them in 2018. The scientifically based proposals for the enlargement of the non-intervention area in the future zonation document were also discussed with the NP Administration.On-going
Policy influencing/advocacyThe Nature and Landscape Conservation Act was provides a long-term goal that at least 50 % of Sumava NP should be protected in the future as a wilderness. Both the Act and implementing legislation fail to propose any specific schedule or deadlines for reaching the goal or specify which parts of the park are to be so protected. These specifics are to be provided in two documents: the Zonation and Management Plan. The zonation will determine the size and specific areas in Šumava NP that will be covered by a non-intervention zone. As provided in the Act, once set out, the zonation will be unamendable for 15 years. The management plan will determine the schedule for the enlargement of the wilderness over the following 20 years. Both documents are thus crucial in determining whether the NP fulfils the requirements of IUCN resolution. A proposed zonation document was prepared by the NP Administration and Ministry of the Environment in 2018. The publication of the proposal in January 2019 set off the formal consultation process with representatives of the NP municipalities, the NP Council and others. The working proposal includes only 27 % of the NP area in a non-intervention zone. This is not in accordance with the resolution‘s requirement of 30 % of the area immediately and excludes certain very valuable areas of the park. Along with our partners, we have promoted the scientifically based zonation proposal described during their preparation of these documents. We are continuing to do so now as part of the formal consultation period. As the approved zonation will not be amendable for the next 15 years under the Act, a subsequent zonation will be adopted in 2034 at the earliest. For that to include at least 50 % of the park area in the non-intervention zone, as per the resolution, the Management plan must include this goal explicitly and contain specific provisions and measures to be adopted to achieve it. The Plan has yet to be prepared by the NP Administration. On-going
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
To date, the resolution has not been implemented. The zonation document currently undergoing a public comment period, and the extent of the non-intervention area contained therein, will be decisive in determining the future state of implementation of the resolution. The Management plan, which will help determine how fast the long-term goal of a non-intervention zone on 50 % of the NP area is to be achieved, will be equally important.


What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
The chief obstacle has been political pressure on the Ministry of Environment against the interest of nature protection. To overcome it, we have lobbied the Ministry and the NP Authority to respect their prior commitments and the resolution. However, it has not been successful so far.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Education/Communication/Raising awarenessWe will continue to coordinate our activity with the scientific community and local NGOs in order to both educate the public and provide the technical expertise necessary to support sound decision making. We will soon publish (in February or March) the updated scientific basis for the NP zonation proposal with more extensive non-intervention area and continue to discuss it with relevant stakeholders (NP Authority, MoE, members of the NP Council).
Policy influencing/advocacyWe will advocate a zonation of the park in accordance with the resolution. We will enter the ongoing public comment process to advocate that the zonation conform to the resolution. In April, the NP Council will convene to consider recommending changes. The last word on the proposal will belong to the Ministry, which will also then prepare an ordinance to give the zonation legal force after a formal comment period open to other ministries.
Additional Information
External link(s): 
Press release of NP Administation publishing the proposed zonation (Jan. 22, 2019)
Response to new zonation from Hnutí DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic)
A more detailed description of the new zonation
New zonation on a map