Almost 176 hectares of forest in the Lviv region will be transferred to private companies for the construction of the GORO Mountain Resort. The decision was supported by 62 deputies of the Lviv Regional Council on February 10. Discussions lasted almost three hours, and some deputies reported procedural violations.
According to Zahid.net, Slavski LLC and Rozhanska Park LLC received permits to develop land management projects, which will subsequently allow the purpose of forest lands to be changed to recreational use and remove them from the ownership of the Slavska community.
Investments are more important than nature
The regional council effectively gave permission to divide the territory into separate plots and remove them from communal ownership. The acquirer will be the companies of Vitaliy Antonov, who also owns the OKKO network.
Previously, the mountain forests were under the control of the Slavska subsidiary forestry enterprise Halsillis. Acting director of the enterprise Ivan Pidgorodetskyi tried to downplay the significance of the event. In particular, he stressed that the plot is only 1.1% of the forests managed by Halsillis, and only 36% of the trees will be cut down on the leased area.
In addition, the head of the forestry enterprise said that investors would compensate for the losses. According to Zahid.net, the compensation for the deforestation will amount to UAH 300 million.
Overall, the decision is a step towards the preparation of land management projects, which will subsequently serve as a basis for concluding lease agreements. The regional council emphasizes the importance of implementing this large-scale investment project.
What do environmentalists think?
In short – there is no opinion, at least not presented to the deputies, as noted by deputy Iryna Sekh. She also emphasized the lack of guarantees that the tenants will indeed pay compensation for the damages. She insisted the project needs further work.
Similar views were expressed by deputy Yuriy Radelytsky. His argument was the insufficiently low compensation for the loss of nearly 200 hectares of forest.
As Nazar Ostrovsky pointed out, prior to the vote deputies had not even seen the project, and thus there was no preliminary discussion.
“Did anyone expect that we would come and blindly vote for this... We support investment, but not by these methods,” the deputy remarked.
Nonetheless, despite the lengthy discussion, the regional council ultimately supported the decision.
The year-round GORO Mountain Resort is planned to be built over 15 years, occupying a 1,200-hectare area. Construction began back in 2024. The state has defined this project as “investment significant.” It has been granted a five-year exemption from corporate income tax. According to Zahid.net, additional benefits include compensation of costs for engineering infrastructure and VAT exemption on equipment.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that in Zhytomyr region, forests are being cleared to resume the operation of a dolomite quarry. In the documents, pines nearly 1 meter in diameter were recorded as “maple shrub.”
Environmental activists are also outraged by attempts by the authorities to legalize the destruction of forests through clear-cutting. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers may abolish the EIA procedure for clear-cutting for sanitary purposes.
