Saving Our Forests – the Case of Spišská Belá in Slovakia

Spišská Belá in Slovakia leads the way into sustainable forestry in the region

The forests in Slovakia suffer from human activities just like those in many other countries across Europe. According to the European Wilderness Society, Slovakia is losing its forests at an alarming rate, facing an environmental disaster.

Path for Healthy Forests Project

In 2018, the municipalities of Spišská Belá and Kežmaro together with Tatras National Park Forests won a project for close to 1.5 million Euro under the Path for Healthy Forests Project. It is operated under the cross-border cooperation program between Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania.

The larger part of the funding will be used to redevelop forest roads - Čierny potok, Suchý potok, and Vojenská. The rest of the funding will be invested in regeneration and replanting of forests in Spišská Belá Forests.

Another very important objective of the project, which does not primarily involve funding, is to raise awareness through workshops and meetings with specialists who can explain the serious consequences of logging. Project activities also envisage training and routes for walks through nature for families.

Sustainable Forestry as a Means of Environmental Protection

The destruction of so many ecosystems through logging is one of the main concerns when it comes to environmental protection and the build-up of resilience and sustainability of the natural capital. Achieving these goals through planting of trees and regeneration of certain areas is not enough. What is required is also consequent maintenance of new forests and tree-covered areas that will increase the sustainability of the region. The long-term advantages are clear – better protection of the area against floods and fires, mitigation and adaptation measures against climate change and deepened cooperation in the cross-border region.

The Paths to Healthy Forests is a co-financed initiative and is running for the period 2019-2020. It encompasses territories in the Slovakia-Ukraine cross-border area - Spišská Belá, Tatras National Park Forests, and Kežmarok Forests.