Will the new law block the Tatra Mountains? “In 10 years, the cable car to Kasprowy will have to be closed”

The authorities of Tatra communes are opposed to changes to the provisions of the Act regarding investments in protected areas, including national parks. They believe that they may block the development of tourism and sports and affect the local economy, including the modernization of shelters and the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch.

On March 24, 2026, the Ministry of Climate and Environment submitted a draft amendment to the Nature Protection Act and certain other acts for public consultation. The aim of the changes – as indicated by the ministry – is to improve nature conservation management in Poland and to strengthen the administration's response in the event of violations of regulations in protected areas. The project includes, among others: tightening the rules for implementing investments in protected areas, including national parks and their buffer zones, and strengthening the role of nature protection authorities in assessing their impact on the environment.

“The nail in the coffin” for tourism in the Tatra Mountains?

On Tuesday, during the press conference of the Tatra County Convention in Poronin, local government officials assessed that the draft amendment to the act introduces “too far-reaching restrictions on investments.” Local governments are concerned about the pace of work on the act and the lack of transparency of the proposed changes.

We already have problems, for example, with investments when it comes to sports and accompanying infrastructure in the national park or its buffer zone, and we are afraid that the new regulations will make it even more impossible for us and this will be the proverbial nail in the coffin of the development of skiing and sports – said the mayor of Zakopane, Łukasz Filipowicz.

As he noted, local governments are not opposed to nature protection, but they call for a rational approach to investments. – The point is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and prohibit all investments, but to plan and execute them wisely. Regulations that would prohibit investments and modernization of existing infrastructure will severely impact the local economy and the development of the entire region, he added.

The mayor of the Bukowina Tatrzańska commune, Andrzej Pietrzyk, pointed out that the proposed regulations may even prevent the modernization of existing facilities. – The project provisions include a general provision that investments cannot be carried out even with the consent of the relevant minister. This also applies to the modernization of existing investments in national parks, he said.

He added that this could lead to serious consequences for the region. – We can imagine a situation where in 10 years the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch will have to be closedbecause the regulations will not allow its modernization. It would be a disaster for the region, he said.

Investment paralysis in protected areas. Mountain communes are worried about their budgets

Local government officials also pointed to restrictions on new tourist investments. – The example of building a bicycle path in the Chochołowska Valley is enough, which does not pose a threat to nature and is needed by tourists. According to these regulations, we won't even be able to do that, added Andrzej Skupień, the staroste of the Tatra Mountains.

As he noted, local governments do not agree to a complete investment ban. – We do not agree to a total ban on new investments or modernization of existing ones. This would hamper the development of our region and prevent the implementation of the plans we are waiting for, he said.

The mayor of Kościelisko, Roman Krupa, emphasized that today the investment process in protected areas is complicated. – The bill turns everything upside down. So far, we had to go through a number of procedures to complete the investment. Now many of them will not be possible to implement, he said.

In turn, the mayor of Poronin, Anita Żegleń, drew attention to the broader context of the functioning of communes in protected areas. – These are absurd and very dangerous regulations. Our municipalities depend on national parks. People here live, function and manage their businesses normally, she emphasized.

Dispute over national parks

The draft amendment provides, among others: tightening the rules for implementing investments in nature protection areas and extending the obligation to obtain decisions on development conditions for investments carried out in these areas. According to local government officials, this may significantly limit the possibilities of developing tourist and sports infrastructure in mountain regions.

As a result of changes to the Spatial Planning and Development Act, the scope of the obligation to obtain a decision on development conditions for investments carried out in areas covered by nature protection is to be extended. According to the project, any change in land use in such areas – including national parks and their buffer zones – will require consultation with the regional director of environmental protection.

Due to the above, local government officials of the Tatra County Convention appeal to leave the possibility of building, modernizing, rebuilding and restoring the existing tourist, educational and sports infrastructure in national parks. They demand that the modernization of existing and construction of new investments be allowed to organize tourist traffic and improve safety, taking into account the specificity of mountain communes and regions with a dominant tourist function. They also postulate the introduction of legal solutions enabling the continued operation and modernization of the existing tourist infrastructure, including cable railways to Kasprowy Wierch, leaving the agreement as a real form of investment acceptance, and retaining the ability for local governments to decide on the designation and liquidation of landscape parks and protected landscape areas. (PAP)

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