The killer of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha reserve — 2
The article by Kirill Vasilkov,
Independent Ecological Expertise Group, City of Grodno
Specially for the «Belovezhskaya Pushcha — XXI Century» website,
December 1, 2003
The national park from the height of independent flight
Harvesting living forest and walking with a sniper rife, shooting all animals that hit in optical sight are not just means which terminate the Belovezhskaya Pushcha reserve. Injudicious economic activity is much faster way to terminate her; as a matter of fact this is exactly what is going on now. But, for this purpose it is necessary to wash hands of the law on nature protection and the status of the National Park, which provide a basic idea of SAVING A UNIQUE PRIMEVAL FOREST, the only one in Europe. Let us make note of the fact that this was turned into the business of making money — the use of uniqueness, singularity and originality of nature of the land of Belovezhskaya Pushcha sold as a unique selling point. Here the only owners should be science and the forest protection service. Which means no steps can be made with a rifle, an axe or a saw on the territory of the Pushcha! Or these object could be used very carefully, to prevent harm is made to the primeval forest.
But, sorry, the devil took over the forest, so what remains of science if budgets are void and what happens if it is necessary to place a zealous owner on a pedestal. Therefore even every single stump must bring profit here. Due to this policy Mr. Bambiza, the «economic planner», who is well known across the country after unique floodplain oak forests were cut in the Pripyat area, has appeared in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Well, but someone from uninitiated people or his «benefactors» will say that he has transformed the National park into the goose that lays gold eggs. Stop these words, the National Park had a donated budget in the past and still has. Apart from the profits obtained from economic activities approximately one million Dollars (as the equivalent of Rubles) count to the annual budget received and spent for the needs of the park. If liquids involved for liquidation of the effects of natural calamities which occurred over recent years, this sum is even greater. But another thing is interesting. If we estimate the salary of local workers and the sight of the village in Belovezhskaya Pushcha a question rises by opportunity: how is it possible to keep begging for a donated budget while so much timber was harvested from the primeval forest, including valuable reddish wood of pines and first quality wood of spruces? You should see that during the period that Mr. Bambiza leads the National Park, an amount of timber of over one hundred thousand cubes has been processed in a sawmill. Perfect timber! And not just at one sawmill. But let's leave that answer to be answered in the future. As time will come foresters will explain everything.
Well, I am closing the National Park and I see that its office bursts at its seams. What happens here? It is urgently reconstructed into a hotel. Then I ask workers of the Park, louts, what it is done fore, because, as you can see, the existing hotels are empty by half. I convinced myself of that when I visited them. Besides of this, the overhaul of the office building was made three years ago. A third floor for scientific laboratories was built additionally. A lot of money was spent. Why is this office being destroyed? How should we know, as the workers answer. You see, those repairs were made under former directors. But present director Bambiza ordered to alter everything what has been created by previous leaders. Therefore the workers tear off parquet and pull down walls. At least, they say, we have to earn some money, to support our family and to hold out to better times.
Please me whether logic is involved here? Where is the «intellect» of the great economic planner Nickolai Bambiza? You see, these are just big losses if all expenses of the past and the presence are counted. Where is reasonable economy here?
But this is not the only example of overhaul which makes no sense. In 2001 to 2003 it was done in all hotels and in the restaurant of the National Park. There are no negative claims about it, although the new design showed some surprised faces of experts. With the purpose to covering the large charges made high prices were set. A stay overnight at a room costs 50 to 220 Euro for foreigners and 25 to 125 Euro for Belarusians (after recalculation from rubles). The prices are superior to those in European star-hotels, whereas the offered service is of a much lower quality standard. I do not know what other Europeans think about this, but I, «a new Belarusian», would tell this to Mr. Bambiza. Do you think I would pay 50 to 125 Euro to see a tree through a window or to go into the Pushcha with a girl to drink two hundred milliliters of vodka under a century old oak? In no hundred years I would need your silence for such a load of money. For these sums I will go out with girls, we will have a drink of champagne and we will fully enjoy time spent in my own apartment or in a city hotel at much more reasonable costs. What would drive me to travel 200 kilometers just to do that, is it to die of boredom? Why would I spent many days in the Pushcha? Did you think about that, director Bambiza?
What will the ordinary Belarusian citizen say concerning about all which happens? Of course he or she will simply ban the director to hell. Simply because Belarusians will not take a rest in Belarus at such prices. An ordinary Belarusian will, after he or she saved money over a period of years, go to a sea where both sun and entertainment are at hand. Well, honestly speeking, what is so interesting to go to the Pushcha? What interesting objects are there to look for? The former Belovezhskaya Pushcha Forest, fantastic and wild, has lost much of its character after the large scale cuttings were started. Even workers of the National Park do not recognize it anymore. You can see in which way the forest must be managed; former directors, who thought more carefully about the preservation of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, learn to do it right!
By the way, what do employees of the park think concerning reconstruction of the administrative office? What do these «harmless creatures» of «our shepherd — the great economic planner» think? I call them creatures, since normal people would not keep silent if their administration would move them into garages and back streets of an industrial zone, if they would be settle above car repairing shop where stink and stench make up the environment and where former toilets are being used as laboratories for research. Normal people would protest and oppose that as mockery without precedence and as violence done to them as well as to the Pushcha. Just think about what has become of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, since Mr. Bambiza transformed both the natural phenomenon, which is inscribed into the List of World Natural Heritage of Mankind and, at the same time, the people which live in or near this phenomenon?
It is doubtful if just one of the serious projects has resulted in the expected profit. Everything is shrouded in mystery. As everything is reconstructed and changed, as all creations made by previous directors fall ruthlessly, it looks awful here. Everything in the Pushcha is changed irrevocably and in a furious pace. Many schemes simply have the smell of foolishness. Resettlement from the administrative office can only be named successful from the point of view of self-preservation of the barbarian of our Belarusian natural treasure. He will scatter the archives and all the accounting documentation to back streets. He will eliminate all traces and he will justify that everything was lost when the administration moved. But, as you should see, according to the legislation business documentation must be archived properly during 3 to 50 years. I do not mention scientific proceedings and collections here. But still, people who witnessed the history will remain if other times of just law will come.
Yes, people will stay here. And these words are spoken by them today:
Obedient executors and «muddy water» are necessary in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. But those who serve now faithfully will be those who will «write off» Mr. Bambiza at the day another chief will be installed. It will be their vengeance for humiliation, which some of them need to suffer daily or even several times per day. Do they worry about scientific development? Come come! Will the hotels generate a lot of money? Don't make me laugh. Just count yourself how «much» currency the four existing hotels have brought yet — as they are empty the most part of year. At the same time, the village hotel, which is full of hired workers, does not obtain any liquids. Foreigners are rare in number in the Pushcha to the same degree as the National Park's mind has been wise over the last years. Many things are foolish and reckless here. Already before, eight years ago, a tennis court with synthetic cover was constructed, costing 25,000 Dollars. Now the court is at the verge of a melancholic disappearance; since tennis players are running here so «often» it is covered by a layer of mosses. Until now workers gain packs of «currency» at the cash-desk, obtained from the sale of wood abroad. At this moment a swimming pool is build for tourists, close to the former office, which is currently reconstructed as a hotel. It has «naturally» been done to serve those who are rich. In order to cleaning and prepare the space used for to the pool a patch of perfect living forest was cut. Old pines, with tops propping up the sky, had been growing there. But if the rich tourists will not come, the destiny of the pool will be the same as that of the court. So, which result do we see in general? It is neither currency, nor science. There is just one «reformer» who should get permission for managing anything, even for managing an agricultural enterprise after a decision had been discussed seven times. Phrase-mongering? If only …
A competent informal source informed that in the second half of October a man named Nickolai Bambiza had set off to have rest in sunny Italy — could he have been a namesake? No, the devil escaped! Why didn't he want to have a rest in the hotel apartments of Belovezhskaya Pushcha? Or within the Pripyatski National Park? This means I am right! It is because he is full of Belarusian validity! At the customer check post of Minsk airport a case of transport of cartridges was fixed! What kind of weapon it was? Of course from carbine. At the beginning that man called Nickolai Bambiza made a joke in reply. He said: guys, they are laying scattered all over the house! Therefore this weapon landed in my pocket casually. I was in a hurry and so I did not notice it. It is likely that this explanation had never before been heard by guards at the airport so far. Who else would place himself under several clauses of the criminal Code in that way? The suspected «terrorist» was taken away from the flight, while guys of the appropriate services visited the house where «cartridges would be laying scattered everywhere». It turned out that Nickolai Bambiza's house was situated in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. It turned out that Nickolai Bambiza was that general director of this world famous National Park — and not a namesake! So, what should be done now? Well, it would be enough just to say that the cartridges were palmed off to him. And what would have happened if just one cartridge from a pistol of him was found at the airport, since that is allowed to store as a duty need? Ask customs officers or frontier guards. Ask guys from the office of the public prosecutor what punishment is imposed to a man from which a combat sniper rifle with optical sight had been confiscated before, since he had no right to store it — then it was stolen? It is a whole page of infringements to clauses, very serious clauses, of the criminal Code.
On the first occasion his intimate superiors have «washed away» his criminal act of illegal storage and ownership of a combat sniper rifle. And now the next case, which they also tried to put a stop. This is not yet the end. «Malicious tongues» have spread words that after he was taken away from the flight large sum of «green banknotes» were found at careful examination in the airport. Nickolai Bambiza, not any namesake, but the true and only director of the National Park, probably, tried to take these out to Italy for purpose of «pocket charges». How intensively had the director had to work over 2,5 years to set apart so much money!? However, probably, a his
Nickolai Bambiza is absolutely right in this one thing: there is an urgent necessity, under cover of his intimate superiors, to reconstruct the administrative building in short time and to transport the archive, with valuable documents, to another place. People say, it is moved to the room located above the boiler-house. And then, who knows, a sudden fire may break out… And no, it is not too bad that the library of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, with many old and valuable books including ones issued at the tsar period of the Russian empire, was transported together with the archive to the same room in the boiler-house. What sense does it make to think about rare books if it is necessary to cover up traces urgently…