LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ON FOREST DISASTER

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000025

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR OES, EUR/NCE, EUR/PPD, AND EUR/ACE
AID FOR EEE AND OSDA
AGRICULTURE PASS TO FOREST SERVICE
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID KPAO AMGT KSCA LO
SUBJECT: LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ON FOREST DISASTER

REF: (A) 04 BRATISLAVA 1064, (B) 04 BRATISLAVA 1147

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY


1. (U) Summary. On January 4, Econoff and FSN visited
civic leaders in the Tatra region to discuss restoration and
renewal efforts in the wake of the recent wind disaster that
leveled 250 square kilometers of forest (reftel A). Two of
the leaders are also members of the GOS Commission
established to coordinate cleanup and reconstruction
efforts, which met for the first time on December 13 and
will meet again on January 13. All three leaders expressed
dismay at NGO criticism of the Commission and were eager to
participate in a potential Embassy-hosted DVC in which USG
experts could share their experience in areas related to
rebuilding destroyed forests. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Jan Mokos, Mayor of Vysoke Tatry, Michal Sykora,
Mayor of Strba and chairman of the regional association of
towns and villages, and Milan Baran, City Manager of the
District of Poprad, shared their ideas of the recovery
effort with Econoff and FSN. According to Mokos and Baran,
members of the Commission, the GOS is just beginning its
work and expects to engineer long-term results. In its
first official meeting in December, four working groups were
created and assigned to specific duties. First, the
Ministries of Environment, Economy, Agriculture, and local
governments were tasked with forging a consensus on what to
do with the fallen timber, while considering an assessment
of how much is salvageable, how much to remove, and how much
to leave on the ground. Mokos asserted that environmental
groups want most of the wood to be left alone, citing
potential flooding problems upon removal, while those with
financial interests want simply to sell as much as possible.
The local governments would like to at least remove the
fallen trees lying within 100 meters of towns in order to
reduce potential fire and insect problems. A second group
within the Commission was asked to design a secure program
to handle any wood that is to be removed. A third was
charged with outlining a sustainable redevelopment plan that
would eventually be handed over to an NGO for
implementation. Finally, a fourth group led by the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs was to calculate the final damages and
work toward accessing EU funds to aid the recovery. At the
next meeting on January 13, each group will provide an
update and, if possible, start to make specific
recommendations.


3. (U) All three local leaders showed little regard for the
criticism leveled at the Commission from environmental NGOs
(reftel B). Baran pointed out that these NGOs are based in
the Bratislava and have not even visited the region or met
with regional officials to consider local opinions. Mokos
averred that the Commission has attempted to be as
transparent as possible by being open to media interviews,
allowing all voices to be considered, and consulting with
forestry and environmental professionals. In addition,
local NGOs are already active in coordinating relief funds,
assessing damages, and performing impact studies.


4. (SBU) The local leaders were enthusiastic about the USG
sharing its expertise during the recovery process. Mokos
specifically requested assistance on economic development in
environmentally sensitive lands. The Commission is
attempting to strike the right balance between maintaining a
healthy forest and creating a sustainable, tourist based
economy. Mokos suggested that a DVC on the topic would be
appreciated but requested that, for public relations
purposes, post make the suggestion directly to Prime
Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. Mokos additionally solicited a
DVC on how to handle public relations after a disaster so
that the GOS can better communicate with the media, the
public, and NGOs. Baran further expressed interest in
sharing information about complex emergency warning systems
as well as forest search and rescue procedures.


5. (U) After clarification of the topic and participants,
post will send a formal request through the usual channels
for one or more DVCs.

THAYER


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