Environmental groups call for extended logging moratorium in Hungary

Environmental organizations in Hungary have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Péter Magyar, calling for an indefinite extension of the temporary logging moratorium that is set to expire in late September. The coalition, which includes Greenpeace Hungary, WWF Hungary, and the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society, argues that the institutional and legal frameworks required for the proper management of state-owned protected and Natura 2000 forests have not yet been established.

The groups express concern that without a continued moratorium, large-scale logging could resume in protected areas starting in October. They note a lack of a transparent roadmap to reduce timber extraction in these zones or to delineate the most valuable forest patches. They also suggest that social firewood needs can be met through low-naturalness forests in non-protected areas.

In response to the deteriorating state of forests nationwide, professional training initiatives are also being introduced. The Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate is offering accredited training for forestry professionals focused on managing forests undergoing transformation due to atypical and typical forest damage, aiming to increase forest resilience and adapt to changing environmental conditions.