EPL has repeatedly covered the difficult situation that has developed in the Kivertsi National Nature Park “Tsumanska Pushcha”. Due to the lack of the project of functional territory zoning, the park de facto cannot function in the full scope. The state enterprise “Tsuman forestry” carries out forest felling including the final felling ignoring the very existence of the park. For example, this year one of the oldest, 200-year-old oak area of Tsumanska Pushcha was cut down, and on the rest of the territory felling is carried out with ignoring the requirements regarding the age of ripeness.
That is why, in September 2017, EPL appealed to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to initiate a meeting at the highest level with the aim to reach a compromise with land users of the Kivertsi National Nature Park “Tsumanska Pushcha” and suspend the felling on the most valuable natural sites of Pushcha.
Instead, the officials of the Ministry decided … just to wait until the Project of organizing the territory of the national park is approved. Their argument behind this decision is that this year they have allocated funds for it.
However, the reality shows that it takes at least a year and a half to go from the beginning of the procedure of developing the Project of organizing the territory until its approval. In cases when land users do not agree with the proposed zoning it takes even longer to complete the procedure. For example, the Project of organizing the territory of Nyzhniodnistrovskyi National Nature Park has not been approved yet, although its development started 5 years ago. Such a period of time will be sufficient for the state enterprise “Tsuman forestry” to cut down all valuable old areas of Tsumanska Pushcha.
Moreover, results of the procurement conducted by the administration of the park for development of the Project of organizing the territory is already challenged in court by one of the participants.
It is worth noting that among the potential developers of the Project of organizing the territory there were again the organizations that have already been knowns for producing poor-quality projects and participating in corruption schemes. Therefore, it is questionable whether the Project of organizing the territory will be really high-quality and aimed at preserving unique natural complexes.
The list of participants of the procurement tender for development of the Project of organizing the National Nature Park “Tsumanska Pushcha”.
Recently, the administration of Volyn Oblast Administration of Forestry and Hunting dismissed the Director of the state enterprise “Tsuman Forestry” Mr. Turevych who was exposed by journalists of Volyn Hromadske Television for illegal hunting. In the near future, the appointment of a new head of the forestry is expected.
Therefore, EPL believes that it is necessary to urgently initiate the above-mentioned working meeting regarding the functioning of the Kivertsi National Nature Park “Tsumanska Pushcha” because if we wait for years until the “Project of the organization of the territory” is approved as proposed by the ministry officials, then there will be nothing left to protect in Tsumanska Pushcha ….
For further information please contact:
Petro Testov, EPL environmental scientist
email: office@epl.org.ua, petro.testov@gmail.com
tel.: (032) 255 76 82
