Vimperk, South Bohemia, Nov 7 (CTK) – An integrated concept of tourist paths across the Czech and German part of the Sumava mountains is to help protect the endangered species of the wood grouse, Sumava National Park spokesman Jan Dvorak told CTK on Tuesday.
Both parties will cooperate based on an agreement signed by the Sumava National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park representatives.
The agreement concerns the establishment of a new and attractive tourist path connecting the Czech and German side through a border crossing near Luzny (Lusen) mountain.
“I would be very happy if a decision on making this place accessible were reached as soon as possible. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for tourism is necessary, but it is more time-consuming than I expected, unfortunately,” Sumava park director Pavel Hubeny said.
According to experts, the wood grouse (Tetrao urogallus) requires a location that is not frequented by people.
“Redefining the no-disturbance zone is high on the present agenda. If protection of the wood grouse and the related tourist infrastructure is to make sense, we must cooperate on it, and the best time is now,” Hubeny said.
Biologists estimated the wood grouse population in the Sumava park at around 350 specimen five years ago, while their monitoring on the Czech-German border reached up to 550 specimen then.
The managers of both parks started an extensive three-year programme this year focusing on researching the population of the Tetraoninae birds family, which contains the wood grouse, the black grouse and the hazel-grouse as well.
