"They deceived everyone!" The government decided to build up a biosphere reserve in the Caucasus

The nature of the Caucasus is threatened by another man-made disaster: the Russian government, by its decree, allowed the construction of a ski resort in the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve.

The fact that sooner or later the most nightmarish assumptions will become reality was written five years ago by the government (!!!) “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” in its material “Polygon against the biosphere. The reserve can become a ski resort”, which was published after the amendments were made to the law on protected areas on the possibility of capital construction of various recreational facilities in“ biosphere ranges”. Then, in 2016, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a bill allowing the creation of biosphere polygons within state natural reserves - territories where economic activity can be carried out.

RG experts then expressed concern that these amendments could lead to the destruction of the unique nature reserves of the Caucasus. “The adoption of the amendments will mean that in the presence of serious lobbyists there is no problem through the government of the Russian Federation to make a decision on the allocation of a part of the territory of any reserve called a“ biosphere test site ”and further build up as business wants. This, in principle, jeopardizes the very idea of the existence of the Russian system of reserves in the form in which it has existed for the last 100 years”, - warned ecologist Vladimir Krever.

And then it happened. This was announced by civil activist Anton Bakalov, who addressed his readers with an extremely emotional appeal:

“My dear friends! Environmentalists, botanists, lawyers!

IT'S JUST A NIGHTMARE. This is nonsense, this is unthinkable, this is MONSTER.

But it is so. On March 6, the Russian government signed a decree on the beginning of a large-scale capital construction of a ski resort on the territory of the Lagonaki plateau in the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve.

In 2014, through joint efforts, this project was successfully turned off, raising the ears of the international community and UNESCO, which classified both Lagonaki and the mountains adjacent to the plateau as natural heritage sites. In 2019, the Russian government promised UNESCO that there would be no construction on the territory of the Lagonaki Upland. THEY FOOLED EVERYONE.

I have never been an oppositionist and have never joined any political parties. But what is being done today makes me experience new feelings. I hope you yourself will understand which ones. What I am writing now is not "educational work", not propaganda of environmental literacy - this is a cry from the heart. I want to howl, I want to destroy everything around - but I understand perfectly well that this will not give anything. These are not the times.

Now we with like-minded people are hastily, urgently composing an open letter about the inadmissibility of such adventures on the territory of a unique natural complex. But we are few, and so far I am the only ecologist and botanist in the team.

And, of course, I ask for the maximum, MAXIMUM repost wherever possible. THIS CAN'T BE ALLOWED!!!

P. S.

They ALREADY have a full-scale capital development project ready! Alpine skiing tracks, road network, and cable cars are registered in it in black and white ... There will be a second "Rosa Khutor", and if WE do not interfere with this, it will be on OUR conscience to destroy the unique ecosystem..."