The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources presented a new draft law "On increasing the efficiency of management of nature conservation territories and objects of the nature reserve fund (NRF)".
The document will lead to the implementation of international standards on the territory of Ukrainian national parks, in particular, ecosystem services, reports Ministry of Environment.
Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Grechanyk emphasized that one of the key directions of the Ministry's activity is the preservation of biodiversity, nature conservation areas and NRF objects.
"The draft law was developed taking into account the international experience in the field of NRF of countries such as the USA, Lithuania, Finland and others. It enshrines at the legislative level the creation of the State Agency for Nature Protection Territories and NRF objects, which will ensure the separation of the functions of the formation and implementation of state policy in the protected area This will lead to the implementation of international standards on the territory of Ukrainian national parks, in particular, ecosystem services," he emphasized.
The draft law provides for several main innovations:
- application of new terminology regarding nature conservation areas and legislative consolidation of provisions on wetlands of international importance and biosphere reserves;
- creation of the State Agency for nature conservation areas and NRF objects, which will ensure the separation of functions for the formation and implementation of state policy in the protected area;
- change of powers, which will simplify the procedure for creation and announcement of new nature conservation areas and NRF objects;
- introduction of digitization tools (keeping the Annals of Nature in electronic form, visiting the territories and objects of the NRF will be possible with an electronic ticket).
It is noted that people's deputies, heads of NRF institutions, scientists, experts, representatives of departments of ecology and natural resources of OVA, local self-government bodies and the public took part in the discussion of the document. They discussed the debatable issues of the draft law regarding:
- reforms of the state security service;
- personnel policy and procedure for appointing managers;
- opportunities to attract investments;
- submission of limits for approval;
- prohibition of jeeping within the NRF;
- cooperation with local communities;
- preparation and approval of land management documents and territorial organization projects;
- strengthening the material and technical support of NRF facilities.
The Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy Oleg Bondarenko emphasized the relevance of the draft law in view of the European integration obligations of our country and assured the participants of the meeting of the support of the legislative initiatives committee regarding the further development of the protected matter.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources announced a new draft law on limiting the circulation of single-use plastic in Ukraine.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the team of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources together with Ukrainian and international experts is preparing alternative draft law on prevention of industrial pollution.
