New director of Šumava National Park appointed

Pavel Hubený was on Friday appointed the acting director of the Šumava National Park. Mr Hubený, who has served as the head of the surrounding Šumava Protected Landscape Area, replaces Jiří Mánek. His predecessor was dismissed last week over disagreements with the Environment Ministry about the future of the park. After his appointment, the new director told the news agency ČTK he was going to review the projects planned by the park administration some of which could be halted. The Šumava National Park has for years been at the centre of controversies between proponents of logging and development and those who believe that as much of the park’s area as possible should be off limits for interventions.