Between 1th – 4th December 2019, a workshop “Risk and vulnerability” was held in Kaluža, Slovakia within the 2nd thematic work package. The workshop was facilitated using the same methodology as the one in Slovenia called MARISCO — an abbreviation for ‘Adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites’. The workshop was attended by project partners from Slovakia, Slovenia and Germany, as well as local stakeholders represented by state and private foresters as well as protected area managements – Poloniny National Park and Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area – that the Slovak component parts falls under the competence of.
During the first day, participants had the opportunity to get first hand experience and visit the beech forests of the Vihorlat component part. During the study visit, they saw examples of forest stands in the core and buffer zones and took the time to discuss their current state as well as their previous and possible future management, especially in the buffer zone.
The visit provided inspiration for the following days. during which the participants identified the risks and vulnerabilities related to the Slovak component parts and the manageability of these risks, moreover, they discussed the economic and social aspects of the process. They also focused on the current amendments to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act and the Forest Act, which have a major impact on the site management. These discussions allowed participants to get a better understanding of the current situation, especially in connection with the ongoing renomination process of the Slovak component parts in the UNESCO site, using the MARISCO methodology. This part of the workshop was led by an external consultant.
The Slovak territory is undergoing a renomination. A new (updated) proposal for the individual Slovak component parts of the UNESCO site is being elaborated, which is the result of the fact that there are big discrepancies between the contentual and map elements of the original nomination. The Ministry of Environment, respectively the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic as the official representative of the State is obliged to elaborate this new proposal with the owners or managers of the territory and incorporate the comments of the UNESCO and IUCN inspection. Among others, it is necessary to ensure that there is an appropriate management in place for the component sites. The proposal for renomination was approved by the Slovak Government in October 2019.
