The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strilets, said that Ukraine has appealed to international environmental conventions to recognize Russia's actions in the occupied nature reserve territories of the Kherson region as illegal.
In the biosphere reserve Askania-Nova they established their leadership, and also allowed hunting and shooting of wild animals in the national natural park "Dzharylgatsky", he said on the air of the telethon, reports Korrespondent.net.
It is noted that the Biosphere Reserve "Askania-Nova" has been under occupation since the first day of the full-scale invasion. However, until March 20, 2023, its employees supported the operation of the reserve, maintained collections and conducted scientific research. However, on March 20, the occupation administration established actual control over the institution.
The article emphasized that the Dzharylgatsky national park was also under threat. The occupiers are trying to turn it into a territory for hunting, fishing, catching and shooting wild animals.
"Russians like barbarians, in principle do not understand what they are doing. They have already destroyed many of our valuable nature conservation objects, using our nature reserves as military bases, parking lots for tanks. The decisions they are making today are not legitimate", said Strilets.
He also said that he appealed to the secretariats of international conventions to condemn such activities of Russia and to start the process of non-recognition of these actions in order to stop the aggressor.
It is noted that the Ministry of Environment has already sent letters, so-called notes, to the secretariats:
- Bern Convention;
- Ramsar Convention;
- the Bonn Convention;
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);
- of the International Union for Environmental Protection and the UNESCO Commission.
"This will make it possible to give the issue wide publicity and involve the international community in solving the problem, as well as to achieve a fair punishment for Russia within the framework of the specified organizations," the article says.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that the Russian Federation entered 130 protected areas of Crimea in the international database of protected areas (WDPA) as "Russian protected areas".
As EcoPolitic previously reported, Russian troops occupied 10 national natural parks, 8 nature reserves, and 2 biosphere reserves of Ukraine.
