The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of August 6, 2014 № 385 approved the National Strategy of Regional Development until 2020 (hereinafter – the Strategy), one of the strategic goals of which is rational use of natural resources, preservation of cultural heritage and valuable natural areas.
In particular, Annex 5 to the Strategy contains a list of indicators of achievement of the expectations defined by the Strategy. The indicators include clear indices of the number of protected areas that need to be created until 2017 and 2021 and other crucially important points that were introduced by the Strategy. Therefore, to implement the new Strategy, appropriate changes should be approved in regional strategies as well.
EPL environmentalists appealed to Departments of Environment and Natural Resources in all 22 regions with a request to include to regional strategies indicators regarding protected areas. As a result, only Kirovograd oblast fully took into account indicators regarding natural reserve fund of the Strategy and included them into their document, although early the draft strategy of this oblast was one of the most imperfect. Two oblasts – Vinnytsia and Chernihiv – also included such indicators, but somewhat understated. 11 oblasts even after our requests ignored clear indicators and included just general terms of growth and development of natural reserve fund. Poltava oblast complained of anthropogenic load on its territories and inability to achieve such indicators, and, therefore, it refused to comply with the Strategy. It should be noted that relatively high (7) is the number of regions that did not provide any information regarding their strategies. They do not respond to appeals and requests, and their official websites lack decisions on approval of such strategies.
1 – full account taken of the proposals (Kirovohrad oblast)
2 – partial account taken of the proposals (Vinnytsia, Chernihiv oblast)
3 – no account taken the proposals (Volyn’, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Rivne, Sumy, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi oblasts)
4 – lack of information (Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Odesa, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Cherkasy oblasts)
5 – refusal to take account of the proposals (Poltava oblasts)
For further information please contact:
Kateryna Norenko, EPL environmentalist
Email:office@epl.org.ua; kateryna.norenko@gmail.com,
tel.: (032) 225-76-82
