I think most of us will agree that bureaucracy in Poland is a complicated issue. More than once, taking care of a single, even trivial matter requires dealing with three different offices, where misinformation frequently prolongs the entire procedure. Leaving aside everyday, work-related, Social Insurance Institution, tax and other matters, the whole machine is a brake on creative individual and social initiatives and ideas.
I am writing for a Bolesławiec-based portal, so the examples will concern this region. Bolesławiec is surrounded by forests on almost every side. This environment provides the most favourable conditions for restoring psychophysical strength. Fresh air, silence, peace, birdsong and wild animals. For all of us, such conditions are ideal for rest, provided that they are also safe and the area is clean and well maintained. It would be enough for all the paths to be accessible, passable and reasonably level, with several benches and rubbish bins along the route (boards naming local plants and animals would be a perfect eco-educational addition). There are plenty of potential sites for such recreational and educational areas around Bolesławiec (the “rocks” in Łaziska, familiar to everyone; the former park with a gold mine on Jeleniogórska Street; or even the Lower Silesian Forests).
The problem, however, is that the vast majority of state forests (around 80%) are also part of the so-called State Forest Holding, which means that their primary function is not public recreation but forestry (harvesting timber, operating nurseries and so on). It is possible to transform such a forest into a so-called recreational area or a promotional forest complex, but—and here we reach the crux of the matter—this is an extremely complicated bureaucratic procedure. It requires involving the local forest district (at every level), all the way up to the director general of the State Forests and the Ministry of the Environment, with no guarantee of success.
This discourages anyone from taking action. It is just like making a complaint about footwear: even when shoes are bought and returned in Wrocław, one has to wait about two weeks for a response from Warsaw and for even the most obvious defect to be confirmed. Are the powers of the manager of a company store not sufficient to assess this and provide the customer with a replacement product or a cash refund? The same applies in the case under discussion. Are the powers of the local forest district manager not sufficient to determine that clearing branches from the roads and installing a few benches and rubbish bins would not disrupt the economic function of the forest under their care, about which they have the most reliable knowledge? Tree felling, nurseries and forest-condition research could, after all, continue without hindrance. And if this temporarily posed a threat to people’s safety, the forest district manager could ban access to the forest within their own powers. Does all this really have to be so complicated? In fact, it is quite straightforward! By organising a small local promotional campaign and finding a few sponsors, even the cost of building such a path could be negligible.
Let us suppose that such an area is created. Along with it, a peculiar “problem” arises for its administrator. The rubbish bins have to be emptied from time to time, and the condition of the roads must be monitored constantly. More work, while the benefits—apart from public satisfaction—are practically nonexistent, so there is no “interest” in it. The situation is different in the case of more profitable activities, such as making forests available for hunting. A “foreign-currency hunter”, ready to pay even 200 euros for a one-day hunt, can arrange it through an appropriate agency in practically a week. Bureaucracy exists here too, but arranging such an event is far simpler than months-long battles to install several benches and rubbish bins across a few hectares of forest. And should safe access to public natural assets not be available to everyone?
Fortunately, Bolesławiec is not Wrocław or Warsaw, where reaching the nearest forest requires an hour’s drive through traffic jams. Imagine it—a free Saturday, Sunday or public holiday—a family walk through former quarries, or a bicycle ride through forests with a legendary gold mine. Family relaxation, together with a breath of fresh air. Can one imagine a better way to spend a weekend or holiday? By popularising this model of spending free time (including by building and promoting forest recreation areas), society would ultimately gain more than mere satisfaction. Improved health, stronger family and friendship bonds, and an overall shift towards a more active model of spending free time.
Of course, I am not calling for an assault on the Sejm with a banner reading “down with bureaucracy”. But the greater our social pressure here, locally, the more the authorities in a given region may—or rather, feel compelled to—support such initiatives. The key lies in using the resources we have—forests and natural areas (which cover 50% of the county’s area)—which have far greater potential than artificial entertainment centres created and maintained at enormous cost. Our natural potential is enormous; let us use it!
P.S. For those interested in the subject, I recommend reading a short expert opinion on the profitability of investing in and promoting tourism in Poland. What kind of tourism? See here.
Author: Barbara Alaszewska