From core protection to compromise: A critical assessment of zonation in the Tatra National Park (TANAP) and Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT), Slovakia

Abstract

Zonation is a fundamental conservation tool that determines whether national parks effectively protect biodiversity, ecological processes, and ecosystem services, or gradually erode them. This paper critically evaluates the current zonation proposals for the Tatra National Park (TANAP) and the Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT), which together encompass the two largest mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians. Although zonation is formally embedded in Slovak legislation, its consequences extend far beyond national borders, directly affecting transboundary ecological connectivity, regional water resources, and ecosystem stability in Central Europe. Our analysis shows that the proposed zonation lacks a solid scientific foundation and fails to establish spatially coherent and functionally connected core areas (Zone A). Key alpine habitats of endemic and threatened species – most notably the Tatra marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris) and the Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica) – remain insufficiently protected, as do extensive forest habitats of the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), a protected umbrella species. Old-growth forests, primeval forests, and their remnants, which are essential for maintaining natural ecological processes, hydrological regulation, erosion control, climate resilience, and long-term forest stability, are systematically excluded from strict protection. Beyond the expansion of ski resorts, zonation is increasingly shaped by growing pressure for timber extraction and commercial wood sales, affecting not only communal land holdings but also state-owned forests. Private ownership interests often dominate zoning negotiations, while the long-term public value of intact forests, particularly for drinking water security, flood mitigation, and ecosystem resilience under climate change, is marginalised. Incomplete biodiversity data, limited integration of contemporary scientific knowledge, and the prioritisation of short-term economic interests have transformed zonation from a science-based conservation instrument into an administrative compromise. Given the ecological importance of the Western Carpathians, the current zonation of TANAP and NAPANT represents a transnational conservation risk and underscores the urgent need for a process-oriented, connectivity-based approach to core area protection.