|
The Newsletter of
the
Socio-Ecological Union
A Center for Coordination
and Information
|
Moscow, Russia -- Issue N 10 (44), Special,
April 8, 2003
SEU Times is a newsletter devoted to environmental news, events, NGO work
within former Soviet Union territory. Currently it is mailed out on special
occasions.
MORE NEWS IN ENGLISH FROM SEU-TERRITORY are available on Ecoport - green
news project English version at http://www.seu.ru/news_en/npa.php
NEW!!!
CURRENT FOREST NEWS FROM SEU TERRITORY are now available at
www.forest.ru/eng/news
Dear friends!
The developments around Danube Biosphere nature reserve get more and more
alarming. It's fate is to be decided soon - in 2 or 3 days at National
Safety Council of Ukraine meeting. We have a leak that Minsitry of
transportation have lobbied the project of Council's decision to change the
borders of the Reserve and to withdraw Bystroe Estuary from the protected
territory for the deep water canal construcion. The canal will cut in halves
the world value nature territory and will destroy the habitat of many rare
species. You can find more info in the letter below or at
http://www.seu.ru/projects/eng/dunay/
In December the mass fax attack (300 letters from 64 countries) and pickets
held in Kiev in front of Ministry of Transport and in Moscow in front of
Ukrainian Embassy stopped President of Ukrain Leonid Kuchma from signing the
decree.
Today only your action may help to save this wildlife habitat. Besides faxes
and letters, we need you action.
It is very important to bring hardcopies of your letters to Ukrainian
Embassy in your country. Ukrainian officials are VERY SENSITIVE to that. So
please, find time to do few steps to save this unique wildlife territory -
habitat of pelicans, swans, wild geese, herons, ospreys and multiple other
species - bring hardcopies of your letters to Ukrainian Embassy in your
country.
If you could do even a small picket with some posters - that may be crucial
thing that will save the reserve!
Please stress the fact that the host of European Ecoforum (Kiev - 2003)
should behave decently towards nature of its own country.
Please, act today, or in few months the wildlife site will be turned into
industrial site.
Yours Sincerely
Olga Berlova
This is the letter we ask to sign and send:
-postoffices please pass print or mail texts to:
President of Ukraine L. Kuchma
Prime Minister of Ukraine V. Yanukovich
Chairman Of the Verkhovnaya Rada Committee of Ukraine on National Safety and Defense G.Kryuchkov
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine A. Zlenko
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources V. Shevchuk
Minister of Economy and European Integration of Ukraine V.Khoroshkovsky
per e-mail
Dear President,
Dear Ministers,
Dear Committee Chairman,
Gentlemen,
We are aware that, for a year and a half, the Ukrainian National Academy of
Sciences together with environmental NGOs have put up resistance to the
attempts by the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport to construct a deep-water
ship canal through the Bystroe Estuary within the strictly protected zone of
the Danube Biosphere transnational reserve.
Last December 2002 more than 300 organizations in 64 countries protested to
the President of Ukraine against this critical threat to the reserve.
We are now appalled to hear that Minister Georgy Kirpa is planning to
withdraw the estuaries from the protected area and that the proposal will be
considered on 10 April 2003 by the Ukrainian Parliament Committee on
National Safety. We do not understand why the alternative canal variant,
which would bypass the sensitive areas of the reserve, is not on their
agenda.
The facts are that the canal construction will irreversibly change the
hydrological regime of the delta, disturb natural processes of delta
formation, inescapable pollution of the ecosystem by oil products, change
the habitat for most of the species, decrease of the trade fishery amount,
will threaten endangered species inhabiting the area. In particular the
nesting of tens of thousand birds will be threatened. The reserve will lose
almost all staging areas for migrating waterfowl and waders. Altogether 223
species of birds, including 5 on the European Red List and 31 in the Ukraine
Red Book will be affected as well as many rare and disappearing species of
mammals and insects.
The outcome would be that the Danube Biosphere Reserve will lose its
importance on an international and national level. Furthermore the proposed
construction project violates both national legislation and international
obligations of Ukraine.
We do not implacably and thoughtlessly oppose ship transit through the
Ukrainian part of the Danube delta. We do however feel that you should
positively consider other alternative canal variants; which also have a
chance of attracting investment and sparing the taxpayer and the
environment.
We note especially that the Ukraine is hosting the European Ecoforum in May
2003. We will write as necessary to all European states to bring this matter
to their attention.
In the hope that the Ukrainian authorities will take all necessary measures
for conservation and not degradation - of the Danube Delta reserve we
remain,
Yours sincerely,
[Name and Address]
President Leonid Danilovich Kuchma
Vul. Bankova, 11
252220 Kiev
Ukraine
Fax: +380-44-293-1001
email: questions@adm.gov.ua
Prime Minister
Mr Viktor Yanukovich
str. Grushgevkogo 12
01019 Kiev Ukraine
Fax: +380 44 2930535
email: portal@kmu.gov.ua
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr. Anatoliy Zlenko
Mykhaylivska pl. 1
252018 Kiev
Ukraine
Fax: 380-44-293-6950
email: zsmfa@mfa.gov.ua
Minister of Transport
Mr G KirpaMinistry of Transport
Peremohy pr 57
252113 Kiev
Ukraine
email: com@mintrans.kiev.ua
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources
Mr V. Shevchuk
fax: +380 44 229-83-83,
e-mail: mep@mep.freenet.kiev.ua
Chairman Of the Verkhovnaya Rada Committee of Ukraine on National Safety and
Defence
Mr G.Kryuchkov
fax: +380 44 255-49-28.
Minister of Economy and European Integration of Ukraine
Mr V. Khoroshkovsky
fax: +380 44 253-06-83.
We ask to send copies of your letters to Pechenegi group at
pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua
Back to SEU Times home page
This issue was written and complied by
Sviatoslav Zabelin - the SEU Council Co-Chair, svet@seu.ru
Olga Berlova, Victoria Kolesnikova seupress@seu.ru, translated by Alla
Kapoustina
Previous Issues of The SEU Times may be found at www.seu.ru/seu-news/eng
"The Online Gadfly" at www.igc.org/gadfly
|
