GB No. 8, summer 1992
One of the first decisions made by the newly appointed (by the Minister of the Environment) General Manager of the National Forests was to grant the hunters a right to shoot off elks to extinction. To make matters worse this decision was taken without any consultation whatsoever with the Chief Environment Conservation Officer. The ruling was eventually superseded by the Minister himself, though only in the wake of a great public uproar. The matter was not to be left to rest there, however, as shortly afterwards it was none other but Minister Hortmanowicz himself who allowed deer-stalking precisely during a closed season, when both the hinds and their young ones were supposed to enjoy the full protection of the law. Following another wave of public protest the Minister modified his decision slightly and allowed the shooting of "deer - European males". "And that is how a new entry has been made in the world register of animal species: "deer - European males" - observes Krzysztof Walczak in Życie Warszawy.
It is also worth noting that the Minister is planning to dissolve the National Council for the Protection of Nature whilst the post of the Chief Environment Protection Officer shall fall within the jurisdiction of the Deputy Forestry Minister. As far as the "development" of national forestry is concerned - currently under the supervision of the World Bank and the Ministry of Forestry itself - Janusz Korbel had already covered the subject in AN ASSAULT ON POLISH FORESTS.
"Never grumble about your present boss - you can always end up with a worse one" - as a popular saying has it. Actually, it should go down well with all those, who used to moan about the previous Minister of Environment.
Piotr Rymarowicz
ZB 10/92
transl. by Sigullum Ltd.