About 200 centuries-old trees and about 1,000 bushes on the protected Obolon Island in Kyiv were illegally demolished and replaced with young trees. In addition to green spaces, during the reconstruction, builders destroyed habitats of Red Book animals and completely destroyed the soil layer on an area of about 14 hectares.
This was reported by experts from the Kyiv Ecological and Cultural Center (CECC) after conducting an environmental audit of the island at the request of Obolon residents.
Here is a list of violations that environmentalists found on the protected island, which is part of the Dnipro Islands Regional Landscape Park:
- Illegal felling of about 200 old trees and about 1000 bushes.
- Destruction of biotopes of bats (about 40 places): the nightingale bat and late bat, protected by the Red Book, and birds protected by Appendix II of the Bern Convention: white-necked flycatcher, medium and small woodpecker (about 30 places).
- Destruction of psammophyte communities protected by Appendix 1 to Resolution No. 4 of the Berne Convention on an area of 5 hectares.
- Destruction of fragments of wet and swampy meadows with an area of 5 hectares.
- Elimination of thickets of yellow pitcher plants, which are protected by the decision of the Kyiv City Council dated 23.12.2004 No. 880/2290 on an area of 0.5 ha.
- Complete destruction of the soil layer on an area of about 14 hectares.
The total amount of damage caused to the environment was estimated by KECC specialists at 1.5 million hryvnias. Based on the materials of the conducted audit, they are preparing an appeal to the prosecutor's office.
The other day, EcoPolitic reported on the destruction on Obolonsky Island of one of the capital's largest populations of red-listed plants – Siberian roosters.
