An area that could be covered by the National Park. / wikimedia commons The creation of a fresh National Park met with unexpected controversy. The initiative gained the support of residents, authorities at local government level – in municipalities and voivodships, then in the Sejm and Senate, until it encountered opposition from the President. Karol Nawrocki refused to sign the applicable bill, which began the debate between supporters and opponents of the creation of the Park. What did the president do to decide, and what does that mean for the people and the nature of the region?
On 26 September, the Sejm adopted a bill establishing a fresh National Park in Interodrze – the first in Poland in 24 years. Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Henning– Kloska defined this event as “a historical day for Polish nature”. However, joy in the hotel did not last long. On 7 November, president Karol Nawrocki refused to sign the project. Let us add that there is no another way to the creation of the fresh National Park – it must be established by a bill signed by the head of state.
Nawrocki did not give detailed reasons for his decision. On the President's authoritative website, we can read that he had in head the free economical improvement of the region. It besides points to the deficiency of a referendum, despite the conflicting views of the people on the subject of strict protection. The President's spokesperson stated that the creation of the Park could cut Szczecin off from the industrial usage of the Oder – it is about limiting the anticipation of shipping along the river and utilizing it as a way of transport.
Response to President's veto
The issue of shipping was the most frequently raised subject in the subsequent public debate. Here you can give details of the Act to form the National Park. The Western Ore and Regalica, where present there is simply a flow of goods and passengers, are not even to be incorporated into the Park's envelope. This means that rivers could inactive service as waterways. However, the inland transport environment indicates the anticipation of extending the boundaries of the protected area by the Park Director. Indeed, it has specified powers and there is simply a hazard that it will prevent shipping after Oder. However, this is improbable – even on protected sections of rivers you can let ships to run, everything lies with the Park authorities. Local government officials pay attention not only to the dangers but besides to the chances of creating the Park. It can attract tourists, expanding traffic in the industry. The creation of the Park is besides co-financing from the state budget, which would aid the local economy and give impetus to development, despite the constraints imposed by environmental care requirements.
Karol Nawrocki besides referred to the fact that no referendum was held among the inhabitants of the municipalities where the National Park was to be established. However, this would be an exceptional situation – in Poland specified action has never happened. West Pomeranian Voivodeship Adam Rudawski, in an interview with TVN24, stated that municipal councillors, and later the provincial sejmik on behalf of residents, supported the project. It besides counters the Ministry of Climate and Environment, which presents the results of the public opinion survey. According to him, 86% of respondents support the creation of the Park (although this survey can be considered unrepresentative – 601 people from the West Pomeranian state were questioned, which in specified a survey is simply a tiny attempt).
Protected Nature
The area of the Interdistrict is almost completely wild, inaccessible to humans, consisting of peat bogs, wet meadows, floods and old things (lakes formed in the old rivers). There are over 230 species of birds, many threatened with extinction. The valley of the Lower Oder is besides a immense retention tank that can store water during uplifts, protecting against flooding and giving it distant during droughts. Ecologists have long argued that the area is unique and crucial adequate to be protected. present there is simply a scenery park there, which, however, is incapable to finance part of the work and is problematic in management, due to the fact that the owners of protected areas are 17 entities. The creation of a National Park would facilitate coordination of actions and increase the chance for European Union backing to advance the creation of specified facilities.
Further plans of the Ministry
The Climate and Environment hotel did not submit the Park case after the President's vetoe. A gathering was organised with representatives of the local government, where 2 possible solutions were developed. The first is to re-direct the bill to the President, clarifying the issues of otulin. The second one, which is now referred to more, is the establishment of a branch of another Park in this area, for which the head of state does not request permission. The bottom line is that there is no anticipation of creating a fresh Park Board, so all decisions would be taken distant from the actual protected area. For now, it is not known what decisions will be made and erstwhile – perhaps, in a pessimistic variant, 1 will gotta wait for them for another 20 years.
Weronika MARKOWICZ
