The Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management recommended that the Parliament adopt the government's draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine" (No. 11024).
The permitted passage of motor vehicles will be limited exclusively to public roads, streets and roads of settlements, as well as roads in private territories, according to Taras Melnychuk, a representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on his Telegram channel.
The exceptions to this rule are:
- land users and landowners on whose land plots these territories and facilities are located;
- relevant officials of state and local executive authorities, law enforcement and other bodies and services, etc.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that on February 19, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers approved Bill 11024 "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine'", which provides for a ban on jeeping in protected areas and strict liability for it.
Jeeping is a race, rally, etc. on off-road vehicles (cars, buggies, ATVs). Such entertainment causes significant damage to nature, as cars destroy landscapes and soil, which contributes to erosion. Jeeping disrupts the habitats of animals and plants and has a particularly negative impact on rare and vulnerable species.
Currently, there is an outright ban on jeeping only in strictly protected areas, while vehicles are allowed in economic zones and areas of stationary recreation. This leads to the fact that protected areas regularly turn into racing tracks.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the Kyiv City Council has banned jeeping, i.e. riding ATVs, cars, buggies, etc. on the territory of nature reserves.