Greenpeace Slovakia and Poland Launch Campaign against Planned Bear Culls

Bratislava, April 9 (TASR) - The Slovak and Polish branches of Greenpeace are launching a campaign to collect signatures for an open letter to Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and the EU Commissioner for the Environment in response to the planned culling of 350 bears. According to the organisation, the planned cull approved by the government might have a negative impact on the whole Carpathian region and might be in contradiction with EU legislation. It views the plan as absolutely reckless and another alarming example of failure in nature conservation. "Bears know no borders, moving freely across countries. Slovakia's new plan will have impacts far beyond its territory, directly threatening bear populations in neighbouring countries, including Poland. Large-scale bear culling in Slovakia could destroy decades of work on their protection in the Carpathians and across Europe," stated biodiversity campaign director Robert Cyglicki. At the same time, Greenpeace criticised the government's decision to ignore proven measures to prevent conflicts between bears and people. Instead of preferring scientifically based solutions, the government has announced mass culling. Although the organisation is aware of the increased number of reports of bear encounters and attacks in Slovakia and the presence of bears near human settlements, it believes that human safety should be ensured via scientifically based strategies, not short-term politically motivated measures. Greenpeace also pointed out that the brown bear plays a key role in the Carpathian ecosystem. It helps to maintain the balance and health of natural habitats by regulating prey populations and contributing to plant regeneration. All brown bear populations in the EU, including those in Slovakia, are strictly protected under the EU Habitats Directive. The government declared a state of emergency in several districts due to the bear situation in early April. It also approved an extraordinary culling of 350 bears based on a report by the State Nature Conservation Agency. ko/df