Debate about the Šumava National Park in the Czech Chamber of Deputies

• Main Author: Jan Skalík
• Format: Article
• Language: ces
• Published: Karolinum Press 2015-03-01
• Series: Envigogika
• Subjects: protected areas; Šumava; National Park; discourse; Parliament; politics
• Online Access: https://www.envigogika.cuni.cz/index.php/Envigogika/article/view/429

This study focuses on the content of the complete transcripts of parliamentary debates about National Park Šumava (ŠNP) in the Chamber of Deputies between 1990 and 2013. The study shows that politicians have been using the situation in the ŠNP to support their political strategies. During the parliamentary debates they refer to the regional atmosphere while highlighting peripheral character of the region and exclusion of local people from decision-making. They ignore plurality of conditions in the area and role of politics in the construction of the problem. The study also summarizes the legislative proposals relating to ŠNP through examination of evolution of accents and dictions in different bills and description of legislative process. Basic patterns and roles represented in the discussion are analysed, as well as the way they are reflected in the conceptual framing of the topic and accents of legislative proposals. The study concludes that scientific approach, reducing political influence on the territory, gradually disappears from the content of parliamentary debates and from the mission statement of the bills on ŠNP.