Spruce bark beetle in Sumava NP: A precedent case of EU Wilderness Protection, the role of NGOs and the public in wilderness protection

Sumava National Park, in the Czech Republic, is, along with the adjacent Bayerischer Wald NP in Germany, one of the largest wilderness areas in Western and Central Europe. Mountain spruce forests here have been heavily influenced by natural disturbances. Following years of debate about conservation management in the national park, logging operations on the Czech side were stopped by massive public protests, including a logging blockade, in 2011. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment Minister and the National Park Director proposed changes that would legalize logging in areas which were previously left to natural processes, reduce the national park's long-term goal of extending the core zones and facilitate development activities (i.e. new ski lift in a core zone of the NP). A survey among visitors of the Sumava NP was carried out in summer 2011. The results show that views of logged clearings bother tourists more than dead trees in wilderness zones. The most effective public awareness measure seems to be direct wilderness experience. The results also confirm that wilderness might significantly boost the region's economy.