National parks – their operations and financing

Abstract

National parks, as guardians of nature protection, perform their tasks of preserving the wealth of fauna and flora and geological features for future generations. They also offer tourist attractions in shape of many kilometers of routes in the most beautiful nature spots of our country. These tasks, however, should be properly financed. Till the end of 2010, the state budget covered the financial requirements to a small extent – only 10-12%. The remaining amount was financed from non-budget means and revenues of auxiliary enterprises. The reform of public finance deprived national parks of revenues generated by their auxiliary enterprises, decreasing their budgets below the minimum level. New regulations do not guarantee maintaining the current level of financing parks. We should remember that the tasks assigned to parks have not changed. Maybe another system of financing could help parks overcome these difficulties. In September 2010, the government developed a project of amending the Act on Nature Protection, introducing the regulation stipulating that a national park will become a so-called state legal person, which will result in ability to retain revenues and to allocate them for statutory purposes. Any disturbances in realization of tasks assigned to national parks may negatively influence various spheres of economic and social life.