Forest rangers

The forest rangers act as a helping hand for visitors while also ensuring that people uphold the regulations, relevant to a state natural reserve. Thus, rangers may issue fines in the event that any of the legal standards, related to nature conservation, are violated. The forest rangers are enshrined in Act No. 114/1992 Coll., On Nature and Regional Protection (Sections 81, 81a, and 81b), and its implementing decree No. 395/1992 Coll. (Section 20).

How to recognize the forest rangers?

The forest rangers are equipped with a forest ranger service badge and they carry either a ranger’s or correspondent’s pass. You can also recognize a forest ranger by their clothing. RANGER or FOREST RANGER (STRÁŽCE, STRÁŽ PŘÍRODY) is written on their left sleeve, including a patch with the CHKO insignia or the AOPK ČR logo.

By law, forest rangers may:

• Ascertain a person’s identity when they feel the person is not upholding the nature conservation regulations,
• issue and collect fines for violations against nature conservation,
• access private plots of land,
• hold persons, suspected of violating the nature and region conservation regulations, while ascertaining their identity; persons, held by the forest rangers, are obliged to obey the forest rangers,
• call for assistance or police interaction,
• stop disruptive activity.

The presence of the forest rangers serves the purposes of both prevention and inspection. The forest rangers educate visitors regarding the correct behaviour in protected areas. They may also issue penalties for the violation of the law and responsibility regarding behaviour in state parks and CHKO.

You can find out more about the forest rangers at malystrazce.cz