Hlina: Nature Protection Act Amendment Extremely Dangerous

Bratislava, April 25 (TASR) - The adoption of an amendment to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act as presented by the government will significantly change the appearance of the landscape forever, especially in villages and towns, but also in suburban areas and areas near villages, MP Alojz Hlina (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) told a press conference on Thursday, expressing his belief that the governing coalition will reconsider the plan. "This bill is extremely dangerous, problematic and will cause what we certainly don't want," said Hlina, adding that he finds the arguments presented in the explanatory report to be offensive. He pointed to the stated aim of making the area more open so that brown bears can't hide there, for example. Hlina believes that civil society will resist the proposal. "It frees hands to cut down and change the character of the areas we live in," he stressed. "It concerns hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of wood that somebody likes and will need," he pointed out. According to the government-approved amendment to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act, procedures for felling woody plants are to be simplified, as the Environment Ministry considers this to be an important preventive measure for reducing dangerous encounters between people and bears as well as damage caused by animals to agricultural crops and orchards. The cabinet also recommends that Parliament should approve the proposal via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. am/df