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The Newsletter of
the
Socio-Ecological Union
A Center for Coordination
and Information
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Moscow, Russia -- Issue N 11 (45),
April 21, 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.
!!!TODAY TWO WILDLIFE TERRITORIES NEED YOUR HELP!!!
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
IN THIS ISSUE:
DANUBE - THE FINAL BATTLE
WILL THE NATURAL TREASURE BE FLOODED?
DANUBE - THE FINAL BATTLE
Dear friends!
It seems that breaking point and the last battle comes in the story of
Danube reserve defense.
(all story is at www.seu.ru/projects/eng/dunay)
In December Ukrainian President Kuchma said that Council of National Safety
and Defense should make a final decision on where the deep water canal
Danube - Black Sea should be constructed - inside the Danube biosphere
reserve or beyond its limits.
The Council meeting will happen on Wednesday, April 23.
The Ministry of Transportation pushes forward the project that would
literary kill the reserve and leave many rare and endangered species without
habitat.
The situation is still very complicated, and your action is urgently needed.
The Ukrainian authorities are aware of the possible reaction from the
international community. Even in the unfavorable draft of the decision there
are recommendations to the Ukrainian Embassies to study the international
reaction to the possible canal construction, especially in the countries of
Danube commission. Also, besides Ukrainian budget, Ministry of Transport
hopes to get funding credits from international institutions, like World
Bank and EBRD.
Sending your letters will let them know the reaction.
Please, send your faxes to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and to the
Chairman of Council of National Safety and Defense Eugene Marchuk.
Please, if possible, send or give the hard copies of your letters to the
Ukrainian embassies in your country! (Especially in case if office refuses
to accept your fax)
President of Ukraine, Kuchma L. D., 01220. Kiev, Administration of the
President of Ukraine, str. Bankovaya, 1, fax +38(044) 291-6161,
http://www.president.gov.ua/eng/feedback/
Chairman of Council of National Safety and Defense Eugene Marchuk.
fax +38(044) 255-0601
+ 1 309 273 8204 (e-fax in the USA, always on)
+ 49 1212 531 546 051 (e-fax in Germany, always on)
The Danube Biosphere Reserve Territory Should Remain as it Is!
Dear sirs!
Since the end of March Ukranian Ministry of Transport has intensified
lobbying for deep water canal Danube - Black Sea construction through
Bystroe Estuary, in strictly protected zone of the Danube biosphere reserve.
Minister G. Kuchma has stated intention of his Ministry to withdraw all
estuaries from the reserve.
The final decision on the reserve fate is to be taken at Council of National
Safety and Defense of Ukrain meeting.
Relating to that we would like to draw your attention to the fact that
biodiversity of the region would be conserved only if reserve territory
remains as it is now. The withdrawal of estuaries from the protected area
will result in irreversible damage to the unique natural system.
The deep water canal construction through Bystroe estuary, which is the only
reason for the proposed changes to the Danube Biosphere reserve territory,
will worsen or even make impossible the nesting of tens of thousand birds.
The reserve will lose practically all the places where flocks of waterfowl
and near-water dwelling birds congregate seasonally. The natural habitats of
birds in these territories will be radically damaged. Just in the proposed
zone of the shipping lanes reside 223 species of birds, including 5 on the
European Red List and 31 in the Red Book of Ukraine. On the territory also
reside or temporarily inhabit many rare and disappearing species of mammals
and insects. The normal habitats of many of them are incompatible with what
is being planned.
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 fact, the only reason for the changes in protection of the area would be
is conservation value loss. However, this has not happened yet. If the plans
of the Ministry of Transportation are realized, the Danube Biosphere Reserve
will actually lose its importance on an international and national level.
Biodiversity, natural systems of the area are defining its conservation
value and make it internationally important area. This is why, in case of
deep water canal construction through Bystroe estuary, Ukraine will loose
one of its most valuable natural territories.
Taking in account all listed above, we consider repugnant the deep-water
canal construction through Bystroe estuary within strictly protected zone of
the Danube Biosphere reserve. Attempts to change the borders of the
biosphere reserve and to withdraw part of its key protected area will have a
negative impact on the international image of Ukraine, especially taking in
account the fact that Ukraine is hosting European Ecoforum in May 2003.
We hope that Ukrainian authorities will take all necessary steps to conserve
the reserve.
Signature
We ask to send copies of your letters to Pechenegi group at
pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua
BWILL THE NATURAL TREASURE BE FLOODED?
ARE THESE THE LAST HOURS OF THE Regional Landscape Park "Granite-Steppe
Pobuzhya" ??
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!
The Government of Ukraine has a plan to build Tashlyk Hydro Accumulation
Power
Station (HAPS) and to fill Alexandrovsky reservoir in the Southern Bug's
river-bed.
To carry out this plan, it needs to reduce the territory of a unique nature
reserve - the regional landscape park "Granite Steppe-Pobuzh'e (GSP)".
Immediate
consequence of this action is extinction of valuable animal and plant
species
and in the future it may cause a disaster equal to Chernobyl in scale.
The final decision on park reduction will be made at Nikolaev city council
session on 25.04.03. Under a great pressure of South-Ukraine Nuclear Power
Plant, deputies are ready to reduce the territory of the Park. After this
step, the Nuclear Plant will start filling the reservoir which will be used
for cooling Nuclear Plant reactors. Building of the Tashlyk HASP will
destroy
the Southern Bug river down stream from the HAPS. According to Yuriy
Shelyag-Sosonko, an Academic of the Ukrainian National Academy of
Science : "...unique nature of the landscape park which has no similarity
and analogy in the world, especially, the endemic populations of flower
plants, will die." In addition, it will flood the soil where the Nuclear
Plant is built, thus increasing seismicity of the region. Ukraine has
to take responsibility for preservation of the nature park GSP according
to International Conventions which Parliament of Ukraine has ratified.
The population of the Region and Ukraine protested during the last decade
against the Tashlyk HAPS and the filling-up of the Alexandrovsky reservoir
on the Southern Bug's river-bed, though with no result.
Please visit our official web site - www.GSP.org.ua for history of the
dam construction, Regional landscape park general information and ecological
problems, photo gallery of GSP.
The only way to prevent this is to launch a massive fax attack, starting
today. Ukraine wants to become a member of European Union and NATO - so
the environmental community should show there is no way for government to
violate its own legislation and international agreements.
THE FATE OF THE SOUTH BUG RESERVE AND ITS INHABITANTS DEPENDS ON YOUR
ACTION!!!!!
Look over attached pictures - these unique landscapes will be under water
shortly, if we remain silent....
We ask you to support us and to protect the nature of Pobuzh'ye nearby our
river.
Please, send an appeal (you can use attached MS word file, or create your
own), to one of following fax numbers (nearest to you):
+ 1 309 273 8204 (e-fax in the USA, always on)
+ 49 1212 531 546 051 (e-fax in Germany, always on)
+ 380 44 495 29 72 (regular fax in Ukraine).
We will forward the faxes received from you to the 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, Chairman
of Committee on Border Control (N. Litvin), Nikolaev region
Administration Head (A. Garkusha) etc.
We really appreciate your time and help in this matter!
President of Ukraine L. Kuchma:
fax: +380-44-291-61-61;
Prime Minister of Ukraine V. Yanukovich:
fax: +380-44-226-20-77,
Speaker of Verhovna Rada, V.Litvin
Minister of Energy of Ukraine S.Yermilov:
fax: +380-44-268-22-02
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine A. Zlenko:
fax: +380-44-253-94-93,
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources V. Shevchuk,
fax: +380-44-229-83-83,
Minister of Economy and European Integration of Ukraine V. Khoroshkovsky:
fax: +380-44-253-06-83.
Nikolaev region Administration Head
N. Garkusha
Head of Nikolaev Oblast Counsel
Moskalenko M.N.
Dear Sirs
We have learned that construction of Tashlyk HAPS and filling of
Alexandrovsky reservoir on the Southern Bug's river-bed will cause a huge
damage to the river and will flood a large part of nature reserve - the
Regional Landscape Park "Granite Steppe-Pobuzh'ye".
The state authorities are planning to reduce the park's area. It will
destroy unique nature and landscapes. Ukraine is responsible before the
international society for preservation of unique landscapes according to the
International Conventions the Parliament of Ukraine has ratified.
We have learned also that for the last decade inhabitants of the region and
Ukraine have protested against the Tashlyk HAPS and the filling-up of the
Alexandrovsky reservoir on the Southern Bug's river-bed though with no
result.
We ask YOU to stop the building of Tashlyk HAPS and filling of Alexandrovsky
reservoir and other actions which encroach upon the World and European
Strategy of Human Protection and International Conventions ratified by
Ukraine's Parliament. We have to know that Ukraine will conduct the European
Conference of Nature Protection Ministers in May 2003 in Kiev.
Destruction of nature landscapes will have a big negative effect on Ukraine.
Signature,
Name and Address
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
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