The recent government reshuffle in Ukraine, there are growing calls to transfer the State Agency for Forest Resources to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, which has been separated from the Ministry of Economy and Environment. The environmental community sees such plans as a systemic threat to forest conservation and as laying the groundwork for their environmentally damaging, commercial exploitation.
The All-Ukrainian Ecological League (VEL) has written to the new Minister for the Economy and the Environment, Oleksandr Kravchenko, urging him to prevent the transfer of control over the State Forestry Agency.
“Attempts to place the State Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine could lead to forests being turned into a commercial tool for extracting resources, halt the integration of Ukrainian forestry standards into European legislation, and have a negative impact on the environment,” the organisation emphasises.
A clash of philosophies
The environmental community points, first and foremost, to the functional differences between the institutions. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy, on the other hand, is primarily focused on maximising output and profits.
However, this approach is unacceptable for the management of forests, which constitute an integral ecosystem and act as a climate regulator.
At the same time, the majority of national parks are situated on land managed by the State Forestry Agency. These are valuable forest areas with rare species of flora and fauna, so, according to environmentalists, they should be managed by the ministry responsible for shaping environmental policy.
The VEL also fears that the programme for the conservation of natural forests may be scaled back.
“The Ministry of Agrarian Policy, instead of preserving young self-seeded forests and incorporating these areas into the forest fund, may facilitate their destruction and the conversion of these lands to agricultural use,” the organisation wrote.
International Significance
Environmentalists also warn that such a step could complicate compliance with the requirements of the European Green Deal and the EU Regulation to prevent deforestation (EUDR), undermine the trust of European partners in the certification system for Ukrainian timber, and jeopardize international aid for the restoration and demining of forests damaged by the war.
The organisation recalled that in recent years, the forestry sector, according to their data, has become profitable: if in 2020 the net profit was around 200 million UAH, then by the end of 2025 it increased to 6.9 billion UAH, and tax revenues exceeded 16 billion UAH. Preparations are also ongoing to phase out clear-cutting in the Carpathians starting in 2027 and to implement close-to-nature forestry.
In this regard, the All-Ukrainian Environmental League called on the Ministry of Economy and Environment not to allow the transfer of the State Forest Resources Agency to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, to complete the reform of the forestry sector, and to continue the digitalization and harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with EU environmental standards.
Recall that on Thursday, July 16, the parliament approved Oleksandr Kravchenko as Minister of Economy and Environment. Since 2008, he has been engaged in strategic business consulting. Kravchenko is deeply involved in postwar reconstruction issues in Ukraine and the financial aspects of these matters. However, there is no information about his interest in environmental topics.
