Ruslan Strilets has been the head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources for a year.
Eco-activists from the public organization "Ukrainian environmental protection group" stated on Facebook that during this time the department did not have any special achievements, and Strilets began to resort to the methods of the era of Yanukovych's presidency.
The authors said that the public criticized the new draft law No. 9136 "On improving the management of objects of the nature reserve fund of Ukraine" according to:
- creation possibilities for the destruction of protected areas;
- violation of norms of nature protection conventions;
- likely obstacles to Ukraine's European integration.
Eco-activists emphasized that against the background of criticism of the document, Strelets and his team forced a number of directors of national parks and nature reserves to write comments supporting the draft law. When activists tried to clarify their position, they either evaded or gave arguments that did not relate to reality.
The authors assumed that the Ministry of Environment sent out instructions for such comments. After all, one of the officials probably confused the text with another bill.
They emphasized that this is not the first such case. Thus, another draft law of the Ministry of Environment regarding protected areas caused criticism from the eco-community. The same officials from national parks and nature reserves defended the document online.
"Why is this happening? Minister Ruslan Strilets and his team are putting pressure on subordinated protected areas. This practice throws us back into the authoritarian era of Yanukovych, – the UPG wrote. – The question arises: is this a personal initiative of the minister and his deputies/assistants or a general trend?”
On the risks of the draft law No. 9136 People's deputies and members of the eco-committee, Yulia Ovchynnikova and Olena Kryvoruchkina, also indicated nature conservation areas. However, the Ministry of Environment not only supported the document, but also actively defended it at the meeting of the committee on environmental policy and nature management.
Kryvoruchkina noted that the document should have been aimed at improving the management of the objects of the nature reserve fund. However, it has significant risks of corruption and the "disposal" of protected lands. If it is adopted, parks and other artificial objects of NRF may turn into construction sites.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that environmentalists criticized the appointment of Ruslan Strilets as minister protection of the environment and natural resources in conditions of war.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on environmental policy and nature management supported the proposal to be put to a vote in the parliament in the first reading draft law No. 9136 "On improving the management of objects of the nature reserve fund", despite the comments and corrections of a number of committee members.
