BIODIVERSITY: Developers Stalk the Carpathians

• by Claudia Ciobanu (bucharest)
• Thursday, May 13, 2010
• Inter Press Service

The Tatras, situated between Slovakia and Poland, are the highest mountains in the Carpathians, Europe’s largest mountain range, stretching over seven Central and East European countries. They are home to a third of European plant species and to more than half of the continent’s population of brown bears, lynxes and wolves.

Tatra National Park, in northern Slovakia, hosts unique chamois and marmot types, and is a critical habitat for many bird species — including the black grouse and the capercaille - and endemic pines. On account of its rich biodiversity, the 738 sq km park has been deemed a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a part of the European Union (EU) nature protection network Natura 2000.

Nevertheless, in late April, the Slovakian government proposed the rezoning of the National Park; according to the new proposal 9,000 hectares of the Park would be downgraded from the highest protection status to a lower one, meaning that forestry, hunting and even building of tourism infrastructure would be allowed on these lands.

According to the environmental group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the government made the proposal 'without any expert review or call for public comments.'

Late April, hundreds of environmentalists staged protests in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, setting up tents in the central SNP square. A petition to oppose the rezoning has been signed by over 10,000 people, including the entire Slovakian Academy of Science, according to Erik Balaz from the Slovakian environmental NGO Vlk.

Saving Tatra Park from developers rests on the shoulders of the Slovakian people, thinks Balaz. 'While there are some opposition parties that disapprove of the rezoning, they have no influence. Moreover, all parties support development once in government.'

Even though the National Park is part of the EU Natura 2000 network, Balaz thinks the European Commission (EC) can do little to prevent the rezoning plan. 'I do not believe in the EC too much,' Balaz told IPS. 'In 2004, when we approached them because over 12,000 ha of forests were seriously affected by logging, they said they cannot do anything because the government insisted the logging was common management.'

The EU is committed to stopping the loss of biodiversity in Europe by 2020. But it seems EU institutions have limited leverage over member states in this regard. The EC can start infringement procedures and potentially halt funding for environmentally damaging projects.

'The EC can be a tool in protecting the environment,' Andreas Beckmann, director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, told IPS. 'But there are cases where EU money harms EU nature conservation projects and there is a continuous conflict of interests inside the institutions between environmental and development interests.'

'Hoping too much from the EU is a common misperception in the region - the EC is responsible for overseeing Natura 2000 but it depends on national governments for implementation,' Beckmann said.

Bulgaria has been admonished by the EC for destruction of bird habitats through tourism and infrastructure development and for breach of environmental legislation. Yet, this month, the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court allowed construction of new ski infrastructure on Vitosha Mountain, on the outskirts of the capital Sofia

In effect, the court revoked a decision of the environment ministry halting further development on Vitosha, the oldest national park in the Balkans and an important source of fresh water.

Vitosha, like the Carpathians, hosts important endemic species of flora and fauna, including 150 threatened bird species. It is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a Natura 2000 site.

But the pressures to develop are considerable. Vitosha Ski Ltd, a developer, plans to put 70 million euro (87.9 million US dollars) into infrastructure including new ski lifts - some of which would link neighbourhoods in Sofia to the slopes. The development is supposed to bring important economic gains to Bulgaria and give the country a chance to eventually organise the winter Olympics.

'The project’s possible economic benefits cannot be compared to what the Vitosha ecosystem provides to the people of Sofia, such as clean air, drinking water for some of the suburbs and the value of preserved natural habitats,' argues Konstantin Ivanov from WWF Bulgaria. 'Even though nature vs jobs is a popular argument for developers to make their projects look more acceptable, in the case of Vitosha, the project is next to the capital, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country.'

'In addition, Vitosha Nature Park management published a report which suggested that at least 33,000 trees will be cut if the development goes ahead and some Natura 2000 habitats will be seriously affected,' Ivanov told IPS.

The dream of the winter Olympics also haunts neighbouring Romania. A new ski resort with three big hotels, pools, road infrastructure and snow cannons are being planned in Padina-Pestera, in close proximity to the Bucegi National Park in the Carpathians. The project is heavily promoted by the Romanian tourism ministry and is thought to brighten the country’s chances of organising the Olympics.

The administration of Dambovita county, managing this project, claims the development would not affect any of the protected areas. But Florentina Florescu, a Natura 2000 coordinator in Romania, says the envisaged development comes dangerously close to the nature reserves and would fragment the habitats of large animals such as the brown bear, the wolf and the lynx.

'There are pressures to develop everywhere in the world, but in the post-communist countries there are no control mechanisms in place to contain them,' said Beckmann. 'We have environmental legislation on paper, but no executive power willing to implement it. Governments in the region have committed to Natura 2000 without knowing what it entails.'

'We also miss a free press and the culture of protecting the environment,' Beckmann added.

© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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