Title News Mass events in protected areas
Assessment
The State Service of Protected Areas reminds that the organizers of mass events must coordinate the event in advance with the directorate of the protected area and obtain a permit. If more than 100 participants take part in the event and the organizer seeks profit (income), visitor tickets are mandatory.
The provision that the organizers of mass events must coordinate with the directorate of the protected area is approved In the amendment of the government resolution “On the approval of regulations of regional parks”.
Clause 25 of the aforementioned resolution states: “Cultural, sports and other events (except for urbanized areas and homesteads), when more than 100 participants are planned, can be organized in the regional park only after coordinating the venue with the directorate.” The location of the event is coordinated in writing with the directorate according to the procedure established in the Rules within the established deadlines. The directorate makes the decision to coordinate the location of the planned cultural, sports and other event after assessing and determining that the planned event will not harm natural and cultural values”.
Recently, the “Women’s rally” that took place in the Neries Regional Park was heard in the public space, which outraged the visitors of this protected area. The organizers of the mentioned event had not received approval from the Directorate of Dzūkija-Suvalkija protected areas to organize a car rally in the protected area. At that time, the hikers traveling on the forest tracks were not satisfied with the cars whizzing by.
Clause 21 of the Regulations of the Neries Regional Park states: “Cultural, sports and other active activities in nature can be organized in the natural and complex reserves of the regional park and in the territories of the Natura 2000 network only after obtaining the approval of the Directorate. The requirement does not apply to events organized in urbanized areas. Requests to organize an event are submitted to the directorate and are considered in accordance with the procedure and deadlines established by the Rules. The directorate makes a decision on the coordination or non-coordination of culture, sports and other active activities after assessing whether the organized event will not harm the protected values”.
According to the head of the Legal and Personnel Department of the State Protected Territories Service. specialist Diana Urbonė, each municipality has rules for the organization of events in public use areas approved by the municipal councils. They must contain a point that when organizing an event in a public use area, which is a protected area, coordination with the responsible institution – the relevant directorate of protected areas or a national park – is required. Organizers of mass events must fill out the forms provided.
We also remind you that in 2019 the State Service of Protected Areas added Description of the procedure for the distribution, accounting and use of collected funds for visitors to the State Park and Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve , which states that a visitor’s ticket is mandatory during mass commercial events. A mass commercial event in the state park and Žuvinta Biosphere Reserve is considered to be an event in which the number of participants is planned to be 100 or more people, and with which the organizer seeks profit (income).
The funds received for the visitor’s ticket are allocated to the maintenance and management of natural objects, recreational areas, renovation of information stands, as well as educational nature conservation activities.
Information of the State Service of Protected Areas
