The Committee on Environmental Policy, Use of Natural Resources and Chornobyl Aftermath Mitigation held a round table discussion entitled “Natural-reserved fund: problems and ways to solve them”

Information Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat
19 November 2013, 09:14

 
Opening the meeting, the Committee Chair Iryna Sekh noted that “all countries of the European Union are characterized with a significant per cent of reserved objects – not less than 10-15% of the state’s territory. The protected areas of Ukraine today reach 6% of state’s territory.” According to the people’s deputy, “this branch is on the verge of survival in Ukraine.”       

Committee Chair deems that liquidation of the State Agency for Protected Areas has most negatively effected environment protection. Functions of this governmental body were only partially delegated to significantly smaller, in terms of personnel, department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Resources.     

The people’s deputy focused attention on the issue of leasing natural sites to hunting organizations. According to her, “this is done with no benefit to the state, irrespective of the existing legislation in the part of establishing national reserved parks and natural-reserved funds on the territories of which, hunting is prohibited.”

Participants of the event stressed that oblast state administrations did not delegate authorities concerning management of the territories and objects of natural-reserved funds at regional level. Under the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of 13/03/2013 No. 159, territorial bodies of the Ministry of Environment have stopped execution of their powers and are in the process of liquidation.

Thus, the issue of delegating authorities, determined by the Law “On Natural-Reserved Fund of Ukraine”, from the central executive territorial bodies in the sphere of environment protection to oblast, Kyiv, Simferopol and city state administrations remains legislatively unaddressed.  

In view of settling this issue, the Ministry of Environment has elaborated and is working on adjustment of the draft law on amendments to the Law “On Natural-Reserved Fund of Ukraine”.

Participants of the hearings suggested address the President of Ukraine with a proposal to proclaim year 2015 – the year of national natural parks in Ukraine and establish the single state body for managing Natural Reserved Fund of Ukraine (State Agency for Protected Areas).   

The issue of imposing moratorium on the change of designated purpose of lands of natural-reserved, historical, cultural and other nature protection purpose, as well as water fund lands within water protection zone; and on extension of boundaries of populated areas at the cost of annexing the existing reserved objects or natural areas perspective for conservation. It is also suggested amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Infringements in the part of strengthening responsibility for violation of environmental legislation on the territories of natural-reserved fund. 

Several other suggestions were voiced out during the meeting, which the Committee shall generalize and use in the process of law-making activity.