South Bohemia considering declaring state of emergency in Šumava over bark beetle infestation

The South Bohemian regional authority says it is considering declaring a state of emergency over bark beetle infestation of trees in the Šumava National Park. Regional governor Jiří Zimola says the non-intervention policy in the park has caused a bark beetle pandemic. The regional authority would like the Environment Ministry to approve the setting up of a working group which would draft a crisis plan to control the insect populations. An expert group jointly established by the South Bohemian and West Bohemian regions has suggested the current approach to controlling the bark beetle, which attacks and kills live trees, is inadequate and has led to fatal devastation of the national park. Environment Minister Ladislav Miko has called a news conference for Tuesday to address the current situation.