National park zoning: A debate shaping Slovakia

For anyone trying to make sense of the current debate, here is a clear summary of the key facts: focusing in particular on the Tatra National Park and the Low Tatras National Park. These parks are home to the mountain resorts of Vysoké Tatry and Jasná, which many Gopass members will know well.

What does zoning actually mean?

Zoning divides a national park into several clearly defined areas with different levels of protection. Zone A is at the heart of the park – the most valuable and strictly protected core area, where no human intervention is allowed. Zone B includes areas that do not yet meet the criteria for Zone A but may do so in the future. Zones C and D lie around the edges and have lower levels of protection. Clear rules would make all activities within national parks easy to monitor, even for the general public, and would help avoid unexpected investment “surprises”.

Comment from Igor Rattaj, Chairman of the Board of TMR

“Zoning should acknowledge reality – strictly protect what is truly most valuable in our national parks and make it untouchable. At the same time – as we have said publicly for many years – it should make protection realistic in places where tourism has been operating for decades. Pretending that car parks, petrol stations or ski slopes used daily by thousands of skiers deserve the highest level of protection is ideology, not genuine nature conservation! Zoning should finally bring clear rules instead of a chaotic system of exemptions. I understand that zoning must be the result of compromise and will never be completely ideal. Nature conservationists, foresters, activists, politicians, local authorities and tourism operators all have their own visions. But any zoning is better than the current chaos.“

“I fail to understand how anyone can be satisfied with the current unpredictable exemption system, which has even allowed surprises such as the notorious tower at Štrbské Pleso to be built. This system of exemptions should end once and for all.“

Igor Rattaj

How does nature protection currently work?

At present, for example, the protection levels in the Tatra National Park range from the third to the fifth degree. The problem is that almost any operational activity within these areas requires an exemption. The process for granting exemptions is often unpredictable and lacks transparency.

Are there already national parks in Slovakia with approved zoning?

Yes. The Slovak Paradise National Park is a good example. Adopted zoning has brought clear management rules, stronger protection of the most valuable habitats, more efficient planning and administration and easier access to European funding. Thanks to zoning, visitors have also gained new legal opportunities for activities within clearly defined rules – whether on designated cycling routes or in climbing areas.

Why does TANAP, Slovakia’s oldest national park, still not have zoning in place?

It’s a fair question and a complicated one. Politicians have been promising zoning for the Tatras for over 20 years. Previous proposals ran into complex negotiations involving nature conservation authorities, landowners, municipalities and other affected organisations. Over the years, business owners, local authorities, tourism organisations and associations have all tried to push the process forward.

In 2004 and again in 2019, postcards were sent in bulk to the Ministry of the Environment reminding ministers of their promises. Various initiatives were launched and round-table discussions were held. Yet despite this, successive political leaders failed to deliver approved zoning for TANAP. In 2026, a new zoning proposal for TANAP has been put forward by the Ministry of the Environment. Some politicians, activists and scientists are calling for revisions, and a number of formal comments have been submitted by different subjects and entities.

How much of TANAP would mountain resorts and ski slopes occupy under the proposed zoning?

Just 0.4% of the entire national park area.

What changes would the proposal bring for tourism development?

Following negotiations between the TANAP Administration and the Prešov District Office, as well as landowners, managers and tenants, state authorities, members of the public, the scientific community, NGOs, municipalities and regional governments, a zoning proposal has been submitted, reducing the protection level by one degree for the 0.4% of the park area occupied by existing mountain resorts for decades.

This change would allow simpler day-to-day operations, upgrades and infrastructure investments – always under the supervision of the national park authority, and still subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) where investment projects are concerned. At the same time, it would eliminate the often bizarre situations in which endless exemption procedures were required for maintenance, replacement or upgrades of technical equipment within designated areas – administrative processes that could drag on for years due to repeated, and sometimes speculative, appeals.

Some politicians and activists have accused the TMR company of trying to use the zoning to obtain state-owned land under ski slopes?

Igor Rattaj, Chairman of the Board of TMR, has publicly stated that TMR does not intend to purchase land beneath the slopes from the state. On the contrary, the company remains the largest contributor to TANAP, paying hundreds of thousands of euros annually in rent for ski slopes.

What would the zoning mean for visitors to the Tatras?

If you visit the Tatras – whether as a walker, a skier or a family with children – zoning concerns you more than you might think. Stable, clearly defined rules mean:

• long-term protection of nature and its most valuable areas,
• transparent rules for visitors in designated zones,
• clear boundaries for businesses operating within the national park, making it far easier to plan investments in infrastructure and modernise facilities to improve safety and comfort.

The Tatras are exceptional precisely because they combine wild nature with high-quality services. If that balance is to work in 20 or 50 years’ time, the rules must be clear, predictable and fair. The zoning debate is naturally sensitive. It concerns our most precious natural area. But it is also about a region where people live, families work and tourism provides livelihoods. Balance is the key. Zoning in the Tatras is not about scaremongering or extremes. It is about acknowledging reality and creating a system that will protect what matters most – nature – while ensuring that the Tatras remain accessible and welcoming for everyone who loves them.