Ukraine Authorities Try to Legitimize Cutting of Danube Biosphere Reserve Quietly

The environmental NGOs of Ukraine have learned about the next "quiet" attack on the Danube Biosphere reserve. The supporters of construction of navigable channel through Bystroye estuary try to approve environmental assessment of the project made with many infringements. The representatives of "Pechenegi" environmental group and Kiev Environmental and Cultural Center have lodged a complaint to V.Yanukovitch, the Prime Minister of Ukraine with request to declare the results of given environmental assessment illegal.

Earlier, in July the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine have signed the documents containing the results of environmental assessment made by the scientists of Kiev National University as the results of state environmental impact assessment sanctioning the construction of the navigable channel through Bystroye estuary.

In the documents of scientific analysis signed by the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine as the results of state environmental assessment there are many violations of legislation, in particular of the law "On the State Environmental Assessment". For example, the Article 6 of the law determines the following main principles of environmental impact assessment: scientific validity, independence, objectivity, comprehensiveness, openness". These principles were broken during given environmental assessment.

The assessment determined as comprehensive was conducted by the representatives of only one branch of science - the geologists. In this connection scientific foundation of the findings of given assessment is more than questionable. For example, one of the arguments of the geologists against the alternative variant of construction of the channel - through Zhebrianskaya bay (and for the variant through Bystroye estuary) - is that "very rare" dung-beetle lives in the bay. This and many other faults prove that it is not founded scientifically and cannot be legitimate.

Another fact that proves wrongfulness of this state environmental assessment is that the experts proceed from the assumption of further abolition of conservation order on the territory of Bystroye estuary and bordering areas. At the same time, according to the rules of environmental assessment, the experts must base themselves on current conditions; now Bystroye estuary is the part of the Biosphere reserve.

The assessment is one-sided because the experts familiarized themselves only with documents presented by one part of the conflict: by the Ministry of Transport of Ukraine and contractor of the works on construction - "Delta Lotsman" company. The scientists have not considered other documents. S.Shaparenko, the director of "Pechenegi" environmental group and V.Boreyko, the chair of Council of Kiev Environmental and Cultural Center think that most advisable for the Kiev National University in this situation to keep its reputation would be to withdraw the results of assessment as biased and untimely.

For further information:
For the background information on the problem see the pages of the Campaign in Defense of Danube Biosphere reserve on the web-site of ISEU:
http://www.seu.ru/projects/eng/dunay