In the Carpathians, the active development of “jeeping” continues to harm the ecosystems of the Nature Reserve Fund (NRF) due to sabotage of law enforcement.
This was stated by the public organization “Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group” (UNCG).
In 2025, a ban was imposed on motorized transport outside designated roads within the NPF. However, according to activists, this dangerous type of recreation continues to thrive due to the critical disregard of the law by local authorities.
The organization added that the latest violation, which “jeepers” boasted about on the internet, was an oil leak from a car on the riverbank. The video was posted on social media.
Найгірше, що всі дивляться і ніхто не подумав навіть щось підставити, щоб зібрати масло pic.twitter.com/dBeoqhEven
— Yevgeniy Mudzhyri (@mudzhyri) October 5, 2025
Representatives of the organization appealed to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (now defunct) in February with a call to begin the process of identifying areas closed to off-road vehicles in accordance with the new legislation. In particular, they called for certain changes to be made to the organization of territories.
The UNCG added that no PZF institution had complied with the requirements of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and had not identified areas prohibited for passage. The situation itself looks like sabotage of the law. Only a few areas where organization projects are being developed have formally responded to the ministry's request to comply with the law.
“We call on the authorities and the management of nature conservation institutions to take decisive and immediate action to preserve unique territories that are currently undergoing irreversible destruction due to the disregard of legislative norms,” the UNCG said.
Environmental activists emphasized that nature conservation agencies, where jeeping is a huge problem, particularly in the Carpathian region, have completely ignored both the implementation of the law itself and direct appeals from the Ministry of Environment, to which they are directly subordinate.
We remind EcoPolitic readers that on October 8, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine considered draft law No. 13174 “On the protection of land rights of owners of real estate destroyed as a result of hostilities.” It has already passed the first and second readings.
Among other things, it provides for simplified obtaining of permits for the construction of infrastructure facilities, in particular in the Carpathians.
