Refusal To Permit Plans To Open Mines In Polish Mountain Ranges

Published by MAC on 2003-07-07

Refusal to Permit Plans to Open Mines in Polish Mountain Ranges

Government Lower Silesia
President Minister
Sleziak
Dolnoslaski Urzad Wojewódzki
Zasobów Naturalnych
Wojewoda Stanislaw Lopatowski
Pl. Powstanców Warszawy 1
50-951 Wroclaw
Poland
Fax +48 71 340 66 01
bp@duw.pl


Ministry of Environment
Mr. Czeslaw
Ministerstwo Ochrony Srodowiska
i Lesnictwa
Warszawa, ul. Wawelska 52/54
00-922 Warszawa
Poland
Fax: +48 22 5792224
minister@mos.gov.pl

Dear Sir!

We hereby kindly request your refusal to permit the plans to open mines in the region of the Karkonosze and Góry Izerskie mountains.

The existing mine of NCC in Klopotnice (county of Mirsk) and the Pol-Skal company's plans in Karpniki (county of Janowice-Wielki) and Mala Kamienica (county of Stara Kamienica) will devastate this region's culturally and historically valuable landscapes. The area under threat is within or close to several protected landscape and nature parks in the Karkonosze (Giant mountains / Riesengebirge) and Góry Izerskie mountains of South-West Poland and is extremely valuable both in terms of its outstanding natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. This centuries old historical landscape is relatively unspoiled and has, even from a European perspective, a unique and one of the largest concentration of
monuments: castles, palaces, old farm houses, mills, churches and archaeological sites. This is why this region as an unsurpassed part of Europe's cultural heritage deserves to be maintained and protected.

The example of Klopotnica in the county of Mirsk illustrates the detrimental effects of stone mining, where with the support of the Swedish company NCC a mine has been established in 1999. Not only have the environment, cultural monuments and landscape been damaged beyond repair, but every form of sustainable development such as rural tourism, the local agrarian economy and the quality of life has been permanently curtailed. Research shows that the local population did not receive any benefits from the mine, either in terms of job opportunities or any other social or economic investments. To the contrary, the region has become visibly poorer and nowadays, a broad asphalt road where heavy trucks bearing stones drive along continuously is the only dominant feature
within the villages. Regular explosions cause large clouds of dust and the inhabitants live in fear of the dangerous uranium that was formerly mined here being released into the air.

Noise levels up to 5 km from the mine exceed any national and international standards. Many local farmers who have been investing in the development of agro tourism have lost their clients without any compensation.

We understand that mining is important to the economic development of Poland, therefore we request you to develop mining ­ based on proper economic and environmental assessment - in areas that do not have primary touristic, cultural and nature protection functions. We also request you to create tourist facilities and other economic activities in the Karkonosze and Góry Izerskie mountains that do not conflict with this area's cultural monuments and landscape. We believe that this area has great potential for hosting economic activities that will benefit the local population as well as protecting the landscape and cultural heritage, such as the development of (rural) tourism which is seen by many national and international experts one of the main economic potentials for this region. Examples in other countries have shown that mining has a strong and long term negative impact on tourism development.

Several regional committees and village associations wish to present you with an alternative project plan in the near future and request your co-operation in this.

The undersigned organizations heartily support these initiatives and will contribute to them wherever possible.

We kindly request you to:
1. Immediately cancel all mining plans in the Karkonosze and Izery region.
2. Conduct based on international standards an independent environmental and social
assessment of the present mining activities and plans in Mirsk, Janowice and Stara Kamienica.
3. Identify possible alternative mining locations with less environmental impacts far from
natural and cultural valuable areas.
4. To act according to all relevant national and international laws.
5. Enshore a transparent and democratic decision making process.
6. To support and co-operate with the local population in the development of alternative
economic plans.
7. To create a proper legally based cultural, landscape and nature protection system for the region.
We are relying upon your insight and willingness to act in order to prevent the pollution and destruction of one of Poland (and Europe)'s! most valuable cultural landscapes.

Yours sincerely,


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