12 January 2011, 11:08
Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, received a response to his appeal to the Government that asked the Cabinet of Ministers to clarify its stance as regards the attempts of the parliamentary majority to lift the ban on hunting in the preserved areas.
The bill on amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the Natural-Reserved Fund of Ukraine" (Reg. No. 7421) was registered at The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on December 2, 2010. The People´s Deputies (the non-affiliated and the members of the Party of Regions) suggest that the Parliament should lift the ban on hunting in the areas of man-made landscape of biosphere reserves, in the territory of preserved areas, in the landscape protected areas of the territories and objects of the natural-reserved fund.
The appeal of M.Tomenko stresses that the supporting documents failed to give any argument to confirm environmental tolerance of hunting in the respective territories.
In the response, Deputy Prime Minister B.Kolesnikov stated that the Government realized the necessity of preserving the biodiversity and integrity of the natural objects and complexes.
B.Kolesnikov stated that the Cabinet of Ministers commissioned the central executive bodies to suggest their amendments to the bill to exclude the provisions on the special use of natural resources in the territories and facilities of the natural-reserved fund.
M.Tomenko calls for taking into account the fact that such legislative initiatives arouse concerns, given the current situation with the reserves in Ukraine. Thus, the reserves make up 5,4% of the territory of Ukraine, whereas in Europe these figures reach 12-15% of the territory of a respective country.
According to M.Tomenko, the Deputy Prime Minister also reported on the state of the natural-reserved fund and its prospective development. Thus, the Government is going to increase the area of territories and objects of the natural-reserved fund of Ukraine to 10,4% of the total area of the country by the year 2015.