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The Danube biosphere reserve
was created several years ago in order to protect the sensitive Danube Delta ecosystems. A large part of the reserve
is located within the Ukrainian Republic part of the Danube delta. On February 2, 1999 it was awarded an
international biosphere reserve certificate.
But the biosphere reserve is now under serious threat. The Ukrainian
Ministry of Transport plans to construct a deep-water Danube - Black Sea canal. The Ministry insists on pursuing a variant which
passes through an the Bystroye Estuary of the Danube Delta, which is located within the specially protected area of the Danube
Biosphere Reserve. The Danube Reserve is part of the UNESCO bilateral biosphere reserve "Delta of the Danube". Construction of
a canal as planned will cause a degradation of the significant part of the reserve, effectively destroying one of the
most valuable natural areas. The reserve is a vital breeding and feeding ground for birds, many of which are endangered species.
16 of the species inhabiting the reserve
are on the European Red list, 70 are on the Ukrainian Red List. The reserve is also a Ramsar site, one of the 200 biodiversity rich wetlands of the world.
On October 22, an alarming report on the possible fate of the reserve,
based on a leak from the Council of Ministers, was made public. The information suggests that the Minister of Transport has
used his personal influence on the Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma to pass to him directly (without approval of the Council
of Ministers) a draft decree on the reserve. The draft decree states that 5600 ha should be withdrawn from the area of the
reserve for ship canal construction. It is also planned to construct cargo loading facilities. All this will irreversibly
destroy these unique European wilderness wetlands!
WHAT YOU CAN DO!
President Kuchma may sign this decree in the very near future.
Local conservationists state that the only way to prevent this is to RAPIDLY
rally international support by email and fax to put pressure on the Ukrainian President. As a future candidate for membership
of the European Union and NATO - the environmental community should persuade the Ukraine against violating
its own legislation and international agreements; the Danube biosphere reserve is a UNESCO and Ramsar site. Write to
those responsible in the Ukraine and help to try and prevent this degradation of an important European wetland.
Use the draft text below (or write in your own words to the President and the responsible ministers
and politicians.
CLICK FOR DIRECT MAIL FORM
e-postoffices please pass print or mail texts to:
President Leonid Danilovich Kuchma
Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Transport
Mr Yuri Samoilenko - Verkhovna Rada
per e-mail
Dear President,
Dear Ministers,
Dear Committee
Chairman,
THE
ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY OF THE DANUBE DELTA BIOSPHERE RESERVE MUST BE PRESERVED INTACT
Gentlemen,
We are most
alarmed to learn that the Ukrainian authorities are planning to construct a Danube - Black Sea canal through the UNESCO Danube
biosphere reserve region, which is a part of the Ukrainian-Romanian Danube Delta bilateral reserve.
According to
studies carried out by conservation experts in your country, the realisation of such a project in the reserved zone will result
in irremediable environmental damage to a significant part of the area. This will have serious consequences for
the habitats and survival of many protected and endangered species of flora and fauna.
We support the
concerns of the National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine - as well as a number of other scientific and public organizations
- and urge you to take all necessary steps to prevent the realisation of this project in the biosphere reserve. Its conservation
is of utmost importance to the Ukraine and to Europe as a whole.
As a candidate
for membership of the European Union and other European organisations and bodies, we appeal to you to accept the pan-European
responsibilities which such membership will bring - particularly in the field of conservation and environmental protection.
Yours sincerely,
[Name and Address]
President Leonid Danilovich Kuchma
Vul. Bankova, 11
252220 Kiev
Ukraine
Fax: +380-44-293-1001
email:
postmaster@ribbon.kiev.ua
portal@kmu.gov.ua
Verkhovna Rada (Parliament)
Chairman Committee for Environmental Policy
Mr Yuri Samoilenko
vul. M. Hrushevskoho 5
252019 Kiev
Ukraine
email:
postmaster@rada.kiev.ua
Prime Minister
Mr Viktor Yanukovich
str. Grushgevkogo 12
01019 Kiev
Ukraine
Fax: +380 44 2930535
email: son@kmu.gov.ua
(newly appointed by the President)
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 Leonid Mykhaylovych Kostiuchenko
Ministry of Transport
Peremohy pr 57
252113 Kiev
Ukraine
email: com@mintrans.kiev.ua
with copies to:
Mr Sergey Shaparenko
President of the Council Environmental Group "Pechenegy"
13, Zabaikal'ski Lane, Apt. 6,
61105 Kharkiv,
Ukraine,
email: pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua
and
Mr Vladimir Boreyko
Kiev Ecological and Cultural Centre
Raduzhnaya str. 31-48,
02218 Kiev
Ukraine
tel\fax + 038 044 433 52 62,
email: kekz@carrier.kiev.ua borey@alfacom.net
UPDATE
The following suggestions in a major mailing list that this story may have been exaggerated - or even fabricated:
"I really must reply to this as it
seems a most dubious story.
1. The Danube Delta is actually mainly
in Rumania and only a little bit in the Ukraine and there is another player with a major interest called Moldova in between
but not actually stretching to the coast. It is very hard to see how Ukraine can achieve
anything without the co-operation of at least 2 other local states. . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. I think this will prove to be a
complete red herring and if it is then I would urge Proact not to shove such stuff like this around with doing some proper
checking - there must be very many people with similar contacts and skills as mine - as if you cry wolf too often.....? But
then you will know the moral of that."
I double-checked with the originators and received the
following comments
"From:
The Socio-Ecological Union (the only international ecological organization
born in the USSR.)
I am afraid your friend (sic)
is misinformed. The Danube Delta is a bilateral reserve - part in Romania, part in Ukraine. Molodova
is locates way up stream. And due to the fact that main navigation goes through Romania the Ukrainian
part got under protection.
Best,
Olga
http://www.seu.ru/index.en.htm "
and
" Dear David!
I hope that my hasty comments
worked, - yesterday I was in hurry so gave very brief explanations on the matter. If you need more I will certainly do that.
I hope that the person who raise the criticism checked it all also with other sources and found that the situation is quite
serious. Though I really did not understand what made him call the story dubious. If it's about violating every convention
in the world there is no surprise - it is the style of Ukrainian Government. The Montreaux Convention may be a good argument
for us, proving that Ukraine should get into canal affair. So I would like more comments on that. I just wanted to say BIG thanks for
doing this page for the biosphere reserve. The letters are coming and it seems that it all has some influence. Hope it all
works out.
My best Olga"
If further proof is needed
it may be drawn from the support that protest mails from Eastern Europe are in the majority.
They are obviously more 'au fait' with the methods used in some of the former East Bloc states to silence opposition and with
the smooth face of 'responsible bizniz' presented to those gullible enough to believe it in the West.
As to President Leonid Kuchma, ex-rocket factory manager,
hard-line communist and dictator: with very dubious associates and methods < http://www.ukar.org/kuchma.shtml > I suspect he's capable of anything.
David Conlin
Proact International
A Proact Personal Support Initiative!
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