EPL environmental scientists and volunteers surveyed awareness of land users in Kyiv protected areas of their obligation to protect objects of natural reserve fund.
In Kyiv, there have been created more than 200 territories and objects of natural reserve fund, many of which are individual trees or groups of trees. Users of Ukrainian Wikipedia noted that one of the most common problems is absence of protection signs in objects of nature reserve funds. The procedure of creation of objects and territories of nature protection fund envisages that after their formal establishment, for example, via adoption of the decision by the Kyiv city council, a land user receives “protection obligation” – the document proving that this person is still responsible for protection of this protected area. So, most often offenders are land users who were issued safety obligations for these particular protected areas.
Totally 42 different entities that include territories and objects of nature protection fund were revealed in Kyiv. In reply to our information requests, 19 of them confirmed that they have “protection obligations” and are aware that they are responsible for maintaining protected areas (Hromashevskyi Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Bohomolets Institute of Physiology, Kyiv zoological park of national importance, Department of General Biology of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, National University of Bioresources and Nature Use of Ukraine, communal enterprise “Forest park entity “Koncha Zaspa”, National Technical University” Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kyivzelenbud” enterprise, Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, Institute of Food Biotechnology and Genomics of the National Academy of Sciences, Darnytsia forest park entity, Svyatoshyn forest park entity, Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, “Pleso” enterprise, National University” Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Main Astronomical Observatory, Fomin Botanical Garden, National Environmental Center for Students, The I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Another 6 institutions (Kytayevskyy Holy Trinity Monastery, State Institution “Territorial Medical Association of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv region”, Kyiv City Clinical Hospital № 17, the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine and Agricultural Farm “Flowers of Ukraine”) are not informed that their territories belong to protected areas (not to mention that they are not aware of their responsibility to protect them).
The Military Hospital at the time of receipt of our letter not only did not know that that two protected objects are located on their territory but even planned to demolish them.
The remaining 16 institutions did not reply to our requests (including NGO “Kyiv Environmental and Cultural Center”). Our requests sent to “Rose” enterprise, communal enterprise “Repair and maintenance organizations 10” and БІ-15 KEB enterprise of the Ministry of Defense returned with indication that the recipients cannot be found at the addresses indicated.
We also found out that Kyiv city council by its decision of 12.02.99 g. №147 / 649 established natural monument “Upper lake of Kitayevskyi cascade of ponds”, which is located in Holosiyiv district at 15 Kytayivska street. The “protection obligation” was issued to Kyiv State research and production complex of the Ministry of Agrarian Complex. But in 2002 the Complex was canceled. Thus, at least since 2002 in Kyiv no inventory of protected areas and the renewal of protection commitments were performed.
Our results clearly demonstrate the effects of unfinished administrative reform and, in fact, the abolition of territorial divisions of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine. Currently, there is no a state body responsible for protected areas in Kyiv while our results show how land users perform their functions of protecting objects of nature reserve fund.
EPL environmental scientists prepared an appeal to the Committee on Environmental Policy of the Parliament of Ukraine as well as to the Minister of environment and natural resources of Ukraine with the request to complete the administrative reform and address leadership of Kyiv with the request to update all “protective obligations” of all land users in protected areas.
Contacts:
Oleksiy Vasyliuk
EPL environmental scientists
e–mail: vasyliuk@gmail.com, office@epl.org.ua,
tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82, (097) 100 – 04 – 73
