Milan Damohorský, Adam Novák

Zeitschrift für Europäisches Umwelt- und Planungsrecht, Volume 19 (2021), Issue 1, Page 21 - 28

In this state report the authors deal with the current situation of forests in the Czech Republic and their legal protection. At the same time, they focus especially on the legal protection of forests located in areas that have been established in the Czech Republic based on the European Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. In this part of the article, the authors focus on the implementation of both directives into Czech law, precisely in connection with the protection and management of forests. Finally, the authors present several proposals de lege ferenda for improving the legal protection of forests in the Czech Republic.

Efpraxia-Aithra Maria, Athanasios Papathanasopoulos, Maria Maniadaki

Zeitschrift für Europäisches Umwelt- und Planungsrecht, Volume 18 (2020), Issue 1, Page 68 - 85

Greece is a country known for its rich biodiversity. From early on in its existence the country has awarded constitutional protection to its natural and cultural environment and in particular to its forest ecosystems. This article presents particularities of the Hellenic legal framework protecting forests and forest areas and the EU legislation which ensures the conservation of their biodiversity. The Habitats Directive (HD) and the Birds Directive (BD) established the Natura 2000 Network including a significant percentage of forest areas. In this article, the harmonisation of the HD and the BD with Hellenic Law is approached critically, focusing on weaknesses in its implementation. Furthermore, the implementation of Art. 6 HD especially for forest areas is analysed through the lens of national case law and regulatory interventions of the administration. Finally, the authors propose the introduction of certain provisions for to improve implementation processes.