Early this morning, Greenpeace activists from Czechia and Slovakia climbed the ladders at the entrance to the Ministry of Agriculture and unfurled a banner that reads „The Ministry of Logging in Old-growth Forests“. The activists put paper helmets on the heads of the statues above the entrance to the building, which symbolize agricultural activities, and put imitations of the chainsaws in their hands. This way they protested against the fact that old-growth forests, which are important for biodiversity and climate protection, are still being cut down in Czechia, including forests owned by the state.
More than 21,000 people have already signed an appeal to the Minister of Agriculture and the Czech State Forests for greater protection of old forests owned by the state. During the protest, one of the participants read out the first names of the people who signed the appeal in front of the Ministry. The protest was also attended by representative of a community that is negatively affected by the current logging in the old-growth Ždánice Forest.
Greenpeace has been drawing attention to the problematic deforestation and destruction of forests, especially in the Natura 2000 Site in the Ore Mountatins. This year, the organisation has launched the campaign, which aims to limit logging in all valuable forest stands older than 120 years. Among these are many rare forests rich in biodiversity, which the organisation believes have insufficient protection and which should also be protected according to international commitments.
At the end of October, Greenpeace Czechia issued a report „Nature Crime File – Czechia“. The report included information about the tracking of logs harvested in the Ore Mountains and Ždánice Forest using GPS trackers, which showed that wood from old-growth forests is sold as firewood or exported abroad to be processed for paper production.
Nikol Krejčová, Forest Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Czechia, says:
„We have brought clear evidence that old-growth forests in the Czech Republic do not have enough protection. The beech forests in Ore Mountains are part of Natura 2000, yet they are managed as an ordinary commercial forest. Although the Czech State Forests are announcing with great pomp and in the presence of ministers the establishment of 250 hectares of no-interference zones in Ore Mountains, this area has not actually been mapped out yet. At the same time the same company is appealing against the ban on felling in the 1200 hectares requested by the Regional Authority. In addition, in southern Moravia the old deciduous Ždánice Forest, where the Czech State Forests has launched a massive felling operation in recent years, do not even have any protection. This is unacceptable. We therefore demand that the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Výborný, order the Czech State Forests to stop cutting down old forests. These are unique ecosystems and over 21,000 people have already signed the appeal for their greater protection.“