Environmental activists from the Kyiv Ecological and Cultural Center accused former Minister of Environmental Protection Svitlana Grynychuk of increasing the rate of tree felling in protected areas during her tenure, adopting a controversial hunting policy, and making questionable personnel changes.
According to the Kyiv Ecological and Cultural Center, it was in this position that she "caused the most damage."
The scale of resource extraction on nature conservation lands
The center's director, Volodymyr Boreiko, cites figures showing the growth in the extraction of various natural resources in national parks:
- the volume of timber harvesting doubled. Including reserves, this amounts to 1 million cubic meters – that is, 10% of the total annual timber harvest in Ukraine;
- hay harvesting increased by 20 times;
- reed harvesting tripled, reaching 18,000 t;
- berry harvesting increased 20 times to 200 t;
- mushroom harvesting quadrupled to 130 t.
Another legacy attributed to Ms. Hrynchuk by activists is the mass logging in Markhalivskyi Forest, which is part of the Emerald Network.
"Hrynchuk personally promised activists to save the forest, but she lied to them and did nothing real to protect it. On the contrary, her deputy, Viktoria Kyreieva, lied to the Bern Convention Committee, allegedly claiming that only dry and diseased trees are being felled there", Boreyko writes.
Anti-ecological hunting
The former environment minister is accused of corruption and the "anti-ecological" nature of the Concept for the Development of Hunting. According to the KECC, it was Ms. Hrynchuk who secured the government's approval of a document that "is designed to serve only the hunting interests of oligarchs."
Unsuccessful personnel decisions
Among the list of activists' complaints is the dismissal of officials whom they consider to be professionals. In particular, this concerns First Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi and Director of the Department of Nature Conservation Pavlo Ivanov.
"Instead of Krasnolutskyi, she appointed her friend Olha Yukhymchuk, who had no understanding whatsoever of nature conservation or biodiversity protection, and instead of Pavlo Ivanov – Edgar Tokar from Mukachevo, who previously headed the employment service," writes Volodymyr Boreyko.
Last week, it became known that Svitlana Grynychuk, as Minister of Energy, was involved in a scandalous corruption case at Energoatom. A joint operation by NABU and SAPO called "Midas" uncovered embezzlement amounting to approximately $100 million.
President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Hrynchuk's resignation. She submitted a corresponding statement. The Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Housing, and Utilities supported the dismissal, and next week it will be up to the Verkhovna Rada.
As previously reported by EcoPolitics, the KEKC appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office over the felling of trees in national parks.
You can read about official misinformation regarding the Markhalivsky Forest at the link.
