Senate in support of water retention measures in Šumava National Park

The Senate has come out in support of a petition by South Bohemian citizens who would like to see Parliament give legislative approval to interventions in the Šumava National Park which would improve water retention in the region. The locals claim Šumava forests are drying out as a result of increasing periods of drought and the present non-intervention policy in parts of the nature reserve is doing immense harm to the countryside. An amendment to the law on Nature protection, which deals with this issue, is currently being debated in the lower house. The Environment Ministry is pushing for close to half of the Šumava National Park to be declared a “non-intervention” zone.