WCC 2016 Res 034 - Progress Report

Strengthened alignment of the Czech nature conservation legislation with IUCN Protected Area Management Categories. The Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ÚVR CSOP) and Pro Natura / Friends of the Earth Switzerland were leading on a campaign combining advocacy with public awareness raising to ensure that the primary objective of conservation in national parks is to protect undisturbed natural processes in the long-term is part of the new rules for Czech national parks, set out in the revised Nature and Landscape Conservation Act, and that they apply to at least 50% of the territory. No timeline has been set out for achieving this target, however, and the law provides for a 15-year moratorium on any amendment of zoning in Czech national park after an initial revision.

Following the amendments of the law, the Czech Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has developed a new by-law regulating the content and process for developing management plans for protected areas. IUCN Members mentioned above, in partnership with local NGOs and scientific community, ensured that the final and official version of the by-law provides that management plans declare the IUCN Category of the protected area concerned and therefore set out management objectives accordingly.

Another by-law, concerning the methodology on management zoning for national park, was also enacted following the adoption of the amended Nature and Landscape Conservation Act. It provides for classification of forest stands based on their naturalness as originally developed for the purposes of research and monitoring in commercial forestry. This methodology differs from that applied in Natura 2000 habitat mapping by being based on the current state of forest stands, rather than their desired end-state. In the past this has led to fragmentation and degradation of forest stands in the nature zone in Šumava NP. Despite the advocacy of the IUCN members mentioned above and their partners, Hnuti DUHA and Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, this deficiency in the by-law was not mended and is expected to have negative consequences for management of national parks in the Czech Republic.
Scientific/Technical activities. Based on the research conducted by Hnuti DUHA and scientific community in the country, the IUCN members mentioned above submitted to the Czech Ministry of Environment and local stakeholders a proposal to extend the non-intervention nature zone in Šumava NP to 53% of its total territory. The development of the proposal included field activities, preparation of revised maps, and their verification on the ground, photographic documentation, etc. The proposal was supported by a number of mayors of the municipalities that straddle the borders of the park.