THE PRESS-TOUR IS SET ASIDE, OR WHY THE LETTER OF THE BELARUSIAN GREEN ACTIVISTS WAS LOST IN THE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATION?
The article by Valery Dranchuk,
Published in «Narodnaya Volya» (People's Will) Newspaper, #138, August 01, 2001
Despite of the Aarhus Convention on free access of people to ecological information, justice and decision making, which was ratified by our country in 1998, the press in Belarus is deprived of primary sources of information in many cases, especially in the environmental field. Recently informal sources showed a number of facts of the industrial pressure onto several Belarusian nature reserves that have a status of specially protected territories. Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Pripyatski National Parks are among them. This is why the initiative of Green Activists is not a cause of doubt.
But first of all let's check the letter, which we have addresses to the President Administration of the Republic of Belarus pretty long time ago.
May 21, 2001.
To: President Administration of the Republic of Belarus
Copy: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection.
Subject: About the initiative of press-tours to Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Pripyatski National Parks, Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha Newspaper and its Public Council being guided by the principles of the Aarhus Convention and some other legal norms that guarantee an free access to the ecological information, justice and decision making procedure for the citizens of Belarus, suggest you to consider a proposal to visit the mentioned above nature protected territories by a group of journalists and representatives of the public organizations (totally 15 or more people). Pripyatski and Belovezhskaya Pushcha National parks as well as Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve are offered as sites of such a visit.
As it is well known, two specially protected territories — Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park and Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve — have the European Diploma of nature protection. Journalists and general public of Belarus are concerned with implementation of the rules and recommendations of the granted Diploma, as well as of the requirements of the national ecological legislation and international agreements. The numerous critical publications in press warn us do not be indifferent to the destiny of our natural parks and specially protected territories.
We would like to determine the detailed information on the pres-tours and duties of the participants together with your representatives after positive consideration of this letter. We suggest making the press-tours supporting the Aarhus Convention in July and August of this year.
On May 19, 2001, 75 participants of the Meeting of Greens Activists of Belarus supported this initiative.
We hope to discuss a plan of these actions in the near future.
V. Dranchuk, the
A. Mikulich, the Chairman of the Public Council of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Newspaper
M. Kapran, the Coordinator of the Meeting of Greens Activists of Belarus.
P.S. Now let me make a short comment. As the Editor of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Newspaper I have been familiar with many facts indicating that the activity of the most famous Belarusian specially protected territories was dramatically changed upside down. The most outrageous confirmation of this is the «sawmill project» developed for the Belovezhskaya Pushcha NP in 1999. The shameless, extremely raw and technically ignorant «project» has created today a number of very serious consequences to the staff of the National Park. It consumes enormous material and moral matter and what is more important it replace the original nature protection activity with industrial development of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha NP. The loan was taken kind of «under a guarantee of the President of Belarus» and used to buy modern wood working equipment in Germany. Now it should be paid back with the foreign currency and high quality timber. This is why a new director, Nickolay Bambiza was appointed, who is know as absolutely managerial person, «famous» for the intensive industrial and economic development of some other specially protected territories in Belarus. Earlier he was the head of the Pripyatski National Park. Mr. Bambiza does not hide in his management policy serious intentions of the President Administration to cut wood as much as possible and as soon as possible in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha NP. Unfortunately, they want to take there, where it is illegal according to the national legislation and interests. I would like to emphasize on the fact that 90 percent of the forest in this NP is natural intact forest which started to be grown out of the human intervention since
Besides, the interests are extended from the forest of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha onto the specially protected areas of the Pripyatski National Park too because the Pushcha's forest cannot satisfy appetite of the insatiable adventurers. Brigades of the woodcutters are already going to depart there.
The Belovezhskaya Pushcha Newspaper has been writing about these and other facts during the last five years. As a matter of fact, we have been ringing in a bell (here is a place to recollect a column «Cassandra's call»). The administrative leaders of the National Parks tried to listen to our publications sometimes, but a dominant political environment was a barrier for changes. The extended use of natural resources of the specially protected territories was approved and partially legalized by the President. Such a use of resources filled up and still do it the far of being publicly accountable budget of the Government. Meanwhile, the small circulation of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Newspaper (now the edition is temporarily stopped) did not give an opportunities to open wide the informational campaign. Therefore, taking into account the increase of the alarming tendencies of illegal use of the resources of specially protected territories, the newspaper has initiated the press-tours to the famous National Parks and Reserves of Belarus. The purpose of them is to involve other mass media and together with representatives of the general public to gather the primary information, as the people say, everything by own eyes.
I hope that the authors of this letter will receive reply from the President Administration after this publication. As of the position of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection, honestly, our initiative was considered there in time. Representatives of the Ministry promise their participation and the necessary (let's think, the qualitative and truthful) information.