Austria: New forest law: WWF sees “a step in the right direction”

WWF Austria commends the forest law amendment for incorporating biodiversity and climate protection objectives and proposing a hearing procedure for the authority responsible for nature conservation in protected areas. In spite of this, WWF is concerned about the ignorance of the Aarhus Convention in the Forest Act, which results in a deficiency of democratic rights and liability ambiguities. WWF suggests introducing a special regulation to address liability for path damage and secure the protection of old trees in strictly protected areas.