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MPs have overturned a presidential veto on new rules for the Czech Republic’s four national parks: Krkonoše, České Švýcarsko, Podyjí and Šumava. President Zeman had refused to sign the legislation, which had strong backing from environmental groups, saying it did not acknowledge the particularities of the Šumava national park. The Ministry of the Environment says the bill provides stability in that no changes can be made to a new system of zones in national parks for 15 years. The state is also now barred from selling off any of the land.

President Miloš Zeman has vetoed the bill on care for the country’s national parks. The lower house of parliament earlier this month approved the original version of the law, rejecting Senate proposals that would have watered down the rules for national parks and given local councils and inhabitants more room to push for development. The proposed upper house changes were backed by just 28 lawmakers with 109 opposed. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the original rules offered sustainable development for parks and increased the role of local authorities. Mr Zeman said earlier he would veto the original version of the law.

Conservationists in the National Park Bohemian Switzerland in north of the country are busy these days collecting wild pears. While they might not be exactly tasty for people, they are an important source of nutrition for a number of forest animals. The national park conservationists are now trying to collect as many seeds as possible in an attempt to re-introduce the once common fruit variety back into the park’s forests.

A Czech-American team of scientists recently published findings in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience, after discovering how unique landforms such as the Czech Republic’s Pravčice Arch are created and how they withstand collapse.

It is one of nature’s marvels – a gate of sandstone created through millions of years of erosion. The Pravčice Gate near the Czech-Saxony border stands on the edge of a region of wondrous sandstone formations known as Bohemian Switzerland. It is one of 77 sites to get into the semi-finals of the New7Wonders, an international contest organized by a Swiss foundation which aims to support man-made and natural heritage sites

The České Švýcarsko National Park in North Bohemia known for its unique sandstone formations is seeking to be included on the UNESCO world heritage list. The national park is located across the Czech-Saxony border and the two countries have jointly applied for the listing. If approved, the park could appear on the UNESCO world heritage list in 2010. The Czech Republic is the last of the Visegrad Four countries not to have any UNESCO-listed nature area.

After three days and four nights, fire fighters say they have managed to put out a forest fire in the Ceske Svycarsko (or Bohemian Switzerland) national park in the north of the country. The biggest such disaster there for three decades, the blaze has destroyed some 20 hectares of forestland. Some twenty fire units remain at the site as it is still smouldering and a thick layer of glowing ash threatens to set other trees on fire.

The Czech National Park authority has decided to close a portion of the Ceske Svycarsko (Czech Switzerland) National Park after a destructive fire over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon fire fighters managed to contain a fire in the park, situated in the northwest of the country, after some 20 hectares of forest had been destroyed. Tourists are being warned that they must stay on marked hiking and biking trails, and police are not allowing anyone into the zone affected by the fire. The fire is the largest there in thirty years, and damages run into the millions of crowns. Firefighters expect to be at work for at least the next three days, neutralizing the situation. Experts say the risk of forest fires is extremely high in the current hot and dry weather.

Fire fighters have been trying to put out a fire in the National Park of Ceske Svycarsko in the northwest of the country since Saturday afternoon. According to estimates some 20 hectares of forest has been destroyed and some 24 units including one from neighbouring Germany, are working to contain the blaze using thirty trucks, two helicopters and a plane. Experts say the risk of forest fires is extremely high in the current hot and dry weather.