The Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic () is a government ministry, which was established in 1990, and is the highest body for nature and environmental protection in the Czech Republic.

History

This ministry was established in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, before which the environment was divided between the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Forestry and Water Management (within the

Czech Socialist Republic The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed ...

). Before the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

, the Ministry of the Interior was briefly called MVŽP — the Ministry of the Interior and the Environment. The first independent Minister of the Environment was Bedřich Moldan. In addition, from

until the end of October 1992, there was the ''Federal Environment Committee'' (FVŽP), which ceased to exist in connection with the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia; the first minister — the chairman of the FVŽP was Josef Vavroušek. Since the beginning of

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, the Ministry of the Environment has existed as a central body of an independent

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. In June 2010, as part of negotiations on the composition of the center-right government, the ministry was abolished and its agenda merged with other authorities. While Senator Bedřich Moldan negotiating for

TOP 09 TOP 09 (name derived from cs, Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita, lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. TOP 09 holds 14 seats in the Chamber ...

defended the independence of the ministry, negotiator Civic Democratic Party Jiří Papež advocated a merger of the Ministries of the Environment, Local Development and Agriculture. Public Affairs proposed a merger of the agendas of the Ministries of the Environment and Agriculture.

Mission

The Ministry of the Environment was established on 19 December 1989 as the central body of state administration and the body of supreme supervision in environmental matters. The Ministry of the Environment is the central state administration body for the following areas: * protection of natural water accumulation, protection of water resources and protection of groundwater and surface water quality * protection of

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

* nature and landscape protection * area of zoo operations * protection of the Agricultural Land Fund (ZPF) * performance of the state geological service * protection of the rock environment, including the protection of

mineral resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

and

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

* geological work and ecological supervision of mining * waste management * Environmental Impact Assessment, including those that transcend national borders. It is also the central authority state administration for

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

in national parks and the central government body for state environmental policy, for the labelling system of environmentally friendly products and services and for the program supporting voluntary participation in the system of company management and audit from the point of view of environmental protection (EMAS Program). The Ministry acts as the central water authority. To ensure and control the government of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of the Environment coordinates the procedure of all ministries and other central state administration bodies of the Czech Republic in environmental matters.

Departmental organizations

For its needs, the ministry establishes a number of departmental organizations: * Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK) * CENIA, Czech Environmental Information Agency * Czech Geological Survey * Czech Environmental Inspectorate (CEI) * Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) * Cave Administration of the Czech Republic *

Krkonoše National Park Krkonoše National Park ( cs, Krkonošský národní park, often abbreviated as KRNAP) is a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It lies in the Krkonoše Mountains which is the highest range of the c ...

Administration * Administration of the

Šumava National Park The Šumava National Park ( cs, Národní park Šumava, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park, is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller ad ...

and Protected Landscape Area * National park

Bohemian Switzerland Bohemian Switzerland ( cs, České Švýcarsko; german: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscap ...

* Podyjí National Park Administration * State Environmental Fund CR (SEF) * Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture (VÚKOZ) * T. G. Masaryk Water Management Research Institute (VÚV) * Research Institute of Occupational Safety (VÚBP)

External links

* {{authority control

Environment Czech Republic, Environment 1990 establishments in Czechoslovakia