----- Original Message -----
From: "pecheneg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "2b-Nem_rusSMI" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "3-Nem_nemSMI"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>;
"3-Danube-Roman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "3-Biodv_camp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 12:14 PM
Subject: [Danube-Roman] Resolution of the Forum of the ngos from the
Danube
River Basin "Let's save the Danube Biosphere Reserve"
RESOLUTION
of the Forum of the NGOs from the Danube River Basin
"LET'S SAVE THE DANUBE BIOSPHERE RESERVE"
approved 6 October 2004
Odessa, Ukraine
We, the representatives of NGOs from 7 European countries, have concluded
the
following:
RECOGNISING the efforts of the Ukrainian Government to promote the
socio-economic
development of the Danube region and to increase the well-being of its
people by
revitalizing the shipping on the Danube;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the high internatioinal status of the Danube Delta as
one of the
most important European wetlands, part of the UNESCO "Danube Delta"
Biosphere
Reserve, the biggest reedbed complex in the world, Ramsar Wetland Site of
International Importance, and one of the 200 Global ecoregions selected by
WWF;
TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the value of the natural complexes on the
territory of
Bystre Gyrlo as an indispensable part of the UNESCO "Danube Delta"
Biosphere
Reserve
and Ramsar Wetland Site of International Importance;
RECOGNISING that the option of the canal via Gyrlo Bystre is economically
unjustified, environmentally damaging, and chosen without comprehensive
consideration
of other alternatives;
ADMITTING the lack of public participation and consequent breach of Aarhus
Convention
and relevant national legislation by official bodies of Ukraine,
Beneficiary
of the
project, and project developers;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the transboundary effects were not considered;
RECOGNISING that the withdrawal of all waterbodies and waterways from the
Danube
Biosphere Reserve, Ramsar Wetland Site of International Importance on
initiative of
the Ministry of Transport is an unprecedented occurrence both for the
Ukrainian and
international standards;
CONSIDERING that the lack of constructive cooperation between Romania and
Ukraine as
well as other affected countries concerning the development of the
navigation has led
to negative transboundary impacts on the hydrology of the river, limited
the
information exchange, prevented reaching agreement on location of the
territory where
the dredged silt and clay are deposited, and on methods to assess the
damage
of the
Danube ecosystem;
The Forum has stated the following:
1. The environmental NGOs have never opposed and are not opposing the
revitalizing of the shipping in the Ukrainian part of the Delta. However,
the way the
currently constructed option has been selected and the option itself cause
very
serious concerns.
2. The construction of the shipping canal via Bystre Gyrlo has been
carried out
in environmentally unsound manner, with the breach of the technological
processes
contained in the project proposal:
* The dredging works have been carried out during the spawning
period;
* During the dredging the double transportation of the excavated silt
and clay
took place when it has been temporarily deposited in the coastal 5km zone.
3. As a result of these breaches and barbaric and rushed manner of
the
construction as well as due to the natural sensitivity of the delta
ecosystem, the
realization of this project has led to:
* the death of 2 nesting bird colonies of common (120 nests) and
sandwich (950
and 430 nests) terns on the Ptashina Spit;
* further formation of a mineral deposits in Vostochne Gyrlo
southward
of the
Bystre;
* damaging the natural complexes of the Yermakov Island while
depositing the
dredged silt and clay on it.
4. While constructing the shipping canal via Bystre the complex
environmental
monitoring was lacking, as a result it is impossible to assess the
indirect
global
consequences from this project and in particular the re-distribution of
the
water
discharge and the consequential processes as well as to assess the
environmental
impact of this project.
5. By implementing this project, Ukraine has breached national
legisaltion of
Ukraine and a number of international conventions ratified by Ukraine
(Ramsar
Convention, UNESCO Convention, Bern and Bonn Conventions, Aarhus and Espoo
Conventions, Danube Convention and Agreement on African-Eurasian migratory
waterbeird
species, European Landscape Convention).
6. The State Ecological Expertise of the technical documentation and
consequently of this project are not scientifically grounded, do not take
public
opinion into consideration and are not objective. The process of
ecological
expertisa
didn't follow the requirements of Espoo Convention.
7. While making a decision to implement a project via Bystre Gyrlo
there was no
comprehensive analyses of the alternatives and the recommendations of the
international experts of UNESCO and Ramsar were ignored
8. During the whole process, since 2001 until present, the real facts
and data
concerning the environmental and economic content of the project have been
often
misrepresented and falsified. The public was constantly misinformed by
massive
campaigns in mass media.
The change of protective status of the Bystre Branch from the core
zone
of the
Biosphere Reserve into anthropogenic landscapes zone has been done without
any
scientific considerations due to transportation needs. The Forum would
like
to inform
that at the moment the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute on Ecology
is
developing proposal on new zonation of the Danube Biosphere Reserve. As a
result of
this, additional territories will be downgraded from the core zone status
into the
anthropological landscape zone including the banks of the Potapivske and
Starostambuske Branches without any scientific justification. The
participants of the
Forum consider such changes to be unacceptable and to break the
international
commitments of Ukraine and will lead to the degradation of the natural
complexes of
the Danube Biosphere Reserve.
The participants of the Forum consider unacceptable the pressure, constant
checks,
inspections and prosecution of the Director of the Biosphere Reserve
A.N.Voloshkevitch, on the instigations of the State Enterprise Delta
Lotsman.
The Forum would like to bring to your attention that the situation with
the
Danube
Biosphere Reserve reflects the situation in Ukraine and shows the real
attitude of
the Ukrainian officials to the nature reserves.
The Danube Biosphere Resrve is not the only one that is being destroyed
because of
the commercial interests, it just happens to be the most famous one among
many
others.
Taking into account the above mentioned the Forum CALLS UPON :
1. To stop the development and construction of the canal via Bystre
Gyrlo until
a transboundary impact assessment by international organizations has been
carried
out.
2. To suggest to the European Commission considering system of
sanctions to the
Government of Ukraine because of the construction of the shipping canal
Danube Black
Sea via Bystre Gyrlo.
3. To recognize the breach by the Government of Ukraine of the
International
Conventions by implementing this project.
4. To compensate the damage caused to the natural complexes of the
Danube
Biosphere Reserve as a result of the construction and current operation of
the
shipping canal via Bystre Gyrlo.
5. To call upon the European Commission to assist the Government of
Ukraine to
develop methodology to assess the environmental impact on the protected
territories
(In particular methods to assess the negative impact on water birds).
6. To call upon the European Commission to assist the Government of
Ukraine with
development of the alternatives for the shipping canal Danube - Black Sea.
7. To call upon the European Commission to assist the Government of
Ukraine with
assessment of the results of the monitoring of the negative impacts as a
result of
the construction of the shipping canal (carried out by Chernomorniiproekt)
and
Proposal on organization of the territories and protection of the natural
complexes
of the Danube Biosphere Reserve (being developed by the Ukrainian
Scintific
Research
Institute of Ecology). International organizations should be involved.
8. To cancel the present zonation of the Danube Biosphere Reserve and
approve
the zonation prescribed by the initial Presidential Decree on
Establishment
of the
Danube Biosphere Reserve. To introduce a moratorium on futher changes in
zonation of
the Danube Biosphere Reserve.
9. To involve and seek approval of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
in all
cases concerning the Danube Biosphere Reserve issues.
10. To encourage a more active use of the existing structures (eg
Danube
Euroregion etc.) to assess and mitigate the anthropogenic impacts on the
ecosystem of
the Danube and to secure the sustainable development of the region.
11. To stop criminal prosecution against the Director of the Danube
Biosphere
Reserve A.N.Voloshkevitch and the constant inspections of the the Reserve.
12. To carry out international ecological monitoring of the present
state of the
nature reserves and national parks of Ukraine.
13. To ask WWF to consider the Director of the Reserve A.N
Voloshkevitch for WWF
award for conservation merit.
Appendix
MISREPRESENTATION OF SEVERAL FACTS RELETED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
CANAL
BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE
In response to the negative reaction of the Ukrainian and international
NGOs
and
individuals, Ukrainian officials have started an information campaign
about
the
project that is not always true:
1) It has been stated on several occasions that it is not the new
canal
that is
being constructed via the Bystre Gyrlo but merely a restoration of the old
one. This
is not true. There has never been commercial shipping in the Bystre Gyrlo.
The only
vessels that ever sailed along Bystre were fishing boats with the up to
1,5 - 2,0 m;
2) It has also been stated that the opposition to the construction of
the canal
via Bystre breach the right of Ukraine to revitalize the shipping on its
soveregn
territory. And again this statement is not true, as the canal via Bystre
is
the the
only possible option and there are alternatives that make economic and
environmental
sense: options via Zhebriyanska Bay or Ochakiv Branch;
3) It has been stated that the shipping canal via Bystre does not
have
an impact
on ecological balance of the delta and has no damaging effects. Not true
because as
the result of construction the colony of terns died and the water
discharge
in the
Kiliya branch has already altered;
4) It has been stated that the construction of the sluice canal
through
the
Zhebriyanskaya Bay cannot be implemented without explaining any reasons;
5) It has been stated that the core zone of the Danube Biosphere
Reserve
consists of separate areas, while according to the Presidential Decree on
Establishment of the Danube Biosphere Reserve is one long stripe.
______________
EuroAtlantic Club
monitoring Romania's efforts to join the EU
http://www.europe.org.ro/euroatlantic_club/
mail to: P.O.Box 13-166, Bucharest 70700
e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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