The letter will be sent in English and Slovak. The Slovak version is not reproduced here as the sense is lost when accents are removed.

ESOX Chov rýb
072 11 Inacovce
SLOVAKIA

Attn: Mr Ing. Ludovit Janasov

August 2001




Dear Mr. Janasov,

I was recently privileged to visit your country on behalf of the Proact/Eurobirder Team, in particular the beautiful Slovak Karst, which I hope will soon be elevated to the status of a National Park.

In the course of my visit I went to the village of Hrhov and spent a full day at the fishponds which are officially recorded as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Europe. I was appalled to find that the flora and fauna at the ponds was significantly reduced from the levels in former times; indeed the ponds, deplete of much of their vegetation, were a sorry sight. I understand that your company has used chemicals (Bioactiv-Roundup?) to reduce the size of the reed beds and increase the number of fish.

This is a very short-sighted policy for 3 reasons:

- The economic future of the region lies surely to a great extent in tourism. The natural beauty of the karst landscape, and its considerable variety of flora and fauna, will attract holidaymakers from Western Europe. Indeed I believe that the first groups of Dutch and British ornithologists have already visited the Hrhov ponds and are as disappointed as I was over the destruction of natural habitats of so many threatened species.

- Trade and the environment are not mutually exclusive. It is perfectly possible to successfully manage a fish farm without destroying the surrounding natural environment. In fact it is dangerous for the biological balance to interfere too extensively with existing natural conditions. I hope that you will not be held responsible for causing an environmental - and financial - catastrophe! In the long term, with perhaps a restaurant, and an environmentally-friendly fish smoking and packing facility for the tourists, may be of benefit to all concerned.

- Should the region be declared a National Park, which is extremely likely, measures to reduce the impact of your operations on nature will have to be taken anyway. It might be worth considering making contact with local conservation organisations which I believe you have ignored in the past who can give you help and advice. If necessary we can also carry out research to provide recommendations for restoration of the destroyed reed beds. You might even qualify for a grant to make your present buildings look more like a traditional industry than a military camp.

We hope that you will take this criticism and advice in the spirit in which it is offered. We would like to recommend your country, and the Slovak Karst, to groups of ornithologists and other nature lovers, and of course to the many travel companies in the West who offer such tours. Before we can do this unreservedly we need assurances that actions to the detriment of the natural environment are kept to a minimum. In this respect we have written to the appropriate ministries in your country, the UNESCO World Heritage Fund and the mining companies who also have operations in the area. We hope that our interventions will be successful and that all (Slovak) parties will be convinced of the long term benefits of conserving and preserving your beautiful countryside and its natural treasures.

We remain,

David Conlin and the Proact Team

and other concerned Eurobirders, ornithologists and nature lovers, representing the following countries:

Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America, Wales

Proact © David Conlin 2001