Kharkiv to destroy the forest for the sake of sand mining

Kharkiv to destroy the forest for the sake of sand mining
Katerina Belousova

The forest is a "place of strength" for many Kharkiv residents

The Kharkiv City Council announced the start public discussion of the report on the environmental impact assessment regarding the complete felling of 19.5 hectares of the Zhikhor forest for sand mining on an industrial scale.

This is the last coniferous forest in Kharkiv, reports ecoactivist Artem Prykhodko on Facebook.

He emphasized that cutting down trees always causes great damage to the ecological system. In case of sand mining, there will be no coniferous forests left in Kharkiv.

"In everyone knows that most of the coniferous forest in the Zhuravlivsky Hydropark has already died, and currently the Zhikhor Forest is the only place where such trees exist and are alive. It is a small but extremely important part of our ecological heritage. This is a place of strength for many Kharkiv residents," Prykhodko emphasized.

He added that the residents of Kharkiv have repeatedly held eco-actions to clean up garbage in the Zhihor Forest.

"In my opinion, we need to look for other options and places for extraction in order to leave this last coniferous drop in our city," Prykhodko said.

The announcement on the start of public discussion of the report on the Department of Internal Affairs and Communications can be found at link.

Earlier, EcoPoliric wrote, thart in 2021 The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources did not allow to increase the area of ​​one of the sand quarries, because the company did not go through the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure. In order to expand production, the owners planned to cut down two large areas of the forest.

As EcoPolitic reported earlier, the police in Kharkiv opened criminal proceedings against unidentified officials for illegal construction of an estate. For this, more than 50 trees were destroyed in the forest park.

Related
Work at the andesite quarry in Zakarpattia is continuing without an environmental permit, but the court has refused to halt it
Work at the andesite quarry in Zakarpattia is continuing without an environmental permit, but the court has refused to halt it

The company even acquired more than 32 hectares of woodland under an easement, but the court saw no grounds for returning it to the state

Hungary has once again allowed logging in nature reserves, reverting to Orbán’s practices
Hungary has once again allowed logging in nature reserves, reverting to Orbán’s practices

The felling of old trees leaves the undergrowth unprotected, which could threaten the survival of primeval forests

Digest of environmental crimes: widespread corruption among forestry officials and environmental pollution
Digest of environmental crimes: widespread corruption among forestry officials and environmental pollution

Most of the crimes uncovered involve foresters implicated in illegal logging, the embezzlement of public funds and negligence, which is causing damage to the forests

The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a special operation, ‘Green Shield’, to tackle forestry corruption and illegal logging
The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a special operation, ‘Green Shield’, to tackle forestry corruption and illegal logging

The Bureau is identifying all those involved and intends to ensure that the millions in losses are recouped