WWF charity are concerned that plans for a new ski resort will one of Europe’s last remaining untouched wildernesses. The area around the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkans is now the site for expansion plans on existing facilities across many parts of the region.
The conflicts between nature conservation and development should be be looked at by mediated by the European Union to help provide a system for evaluating potential impacts and identify measures to stop negative impacts. The Carpathian Mountains are not only the greatest remaining reserves of old growth forests outside of Russia, but also home to two thirds of the continent’s brown bears, wolves and lynx. Even though limited wildlife safeguards have been put into place around these regions, nature conservation is often ignored when put under economic and political pressure.
Director of WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, Andreas Beckman, said –
It is striking how little climate change and sustainability appear to be entering calculations for many of the new ski areas. Already, rising temperatures and decreased precipitation and snow cover is causing problems for many facilities, with some poor recent ski seasons.
EU support must not be given for any problematic developments, including those that clearly contravene EU and national legislation as well as projects that are likely to be unviable over the medium-term, e.g. as the result of climate change. In addition relevant authorities must be pressured to fully apply EU legislation in their countries, including especially Strategic and Environmental Impacts Assessments as well as the EU’s Habitats and Birds Directives, for projects at the planning stage.
Ski resorts being developed in the Carpathians are already planning the use of snow cannons as an adaptation measure to combat climate change and help to guarantee snow for perspective tourists. Yet through the huge consumption of energy snow cannons use, this will only contribute to helping to accelerate the rise in temperatures. With over 3,000 already in use across Europe, each year they consume roughly 1 million litres of water and 260,000 kWh of electricity, the same amount as the inhabitants of Hamburg!
Construction of ski facilities not only have a huge impact on the habitats and species of local animals, but also cause the deterioration of general environmental conditions. Thanks to heavy tourist flow effects and the over use of water for artificial snow production, extra ski facilities will only create a more heavy burden on a world that is already struggling to cope with mankind’s demands.
