We continue releasing results of studies of lost territories of protected areas conducted by environmentalists and volunteers of International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law”. The second part of the studies is about Ivano-Frankivsk region.
As of 1 January 2016, in Ivano-Frankivsk region there are 517 protected objects and territories totally covering 221 611,500 ha. Protected areas cover 15,7% of the total area of the region, which is one of the biggest indices in Ukraine. However, in the past in the territory of Ivano-Frankivsk region there were created much more protected territories and objects that official numbers say. During the studies we found information on 174 protected territories and objects of national and local importance that existed in Ivano-Frankivsk region earlier but are cancelled now. Their total area is 646 515,36 ha, which is 29,8% of total area of all protected areas of the region.
Reasons for cancelling the protected status is different in each case. It turned out that part of the objects lost their protected status because they were included into other protected areas that were bigger or with higher rating, or because of loss of natural value (massive destruction of trees by winter, massive drying out of trees, drying out of water bodies etc). An exception that is a violation of the current legislation is the botanic monument “Ivan Franko’s oak” that was destroyed because of road construction.1
44 protected objects were cancelled because they were included to other protected objects. Their total area is 2785,92 ha. Therefore, their cancellation cannot be considered as loss of protected areas.
Totally the area of protected territories lost in the period from 1964 to 2016 in Ivano-Frankivsk region is 644680,75 ha, which is 7,4% of all protected areas in the region.
After termination of the studies, EPL plans to prepare recommendations for restoration of the part of cancelled protected areas as well as to develop changes to legislation, which make impossible cancellation of protected areas for economic or other reasons that are not related to environmental protection.
Previous publications on the topic:
Part 1. Volyn region (http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2306-vtracheni-ob-iekty-ta-terytorii-pryrodno-zapovidnoho-fondu-chastyna-1-volynska-oblast)
OleksiyVasyliuk, EPLenvironmentalist
Oleksandra Oskyrko, EPL volunteer
Email: office@epl.org.ua; vasyliuk@gmail.com
tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82; 097 – 1000 – 473
1 Decision of Ivano-Frankivsk regional council of 16.09.80 # 335.// ДАІО: Ф. Р-295, оп.6, спр.2441.