Supreme Court of Russia legalized alteration of the borders of "Utrish" nature reserve in Krasnodar region

Cassation Board of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation rejected an appeal of "Greenpeace" organization complaining of a refusal to alter the order of the Ministry of Nature Protection sanctioning the borders of "Utrish" nature reserve in Krasnodar region.

The reason for trial was an order of the Ministry of Nature Protection of the Russian Federation of March, 3, 2011, excluding several territories from protected areas of "Utrish", among them part of the Black Sea coast to the south of the settlement of Maly Utrish.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that according to the scheme of the reserve on the informational posters along the borders of "Utrish", the lands of central lagoons where construction of elite recreation complexes and corridors of access roads is planned were excluded from the territory of the reserve.

In the opinion of the claimant ecologists, the order of the Ministry of Nature Protection was adopted with violations of the legislation in force. There was neither state ecologic expertise, nor estimation of the impact of economic activity on the environment, representative of the ecologists Mikhail Kreindlin reported.

He explained that before adoption of the order of the Ministry of Nature Protection the borders of the reserve had not been specified, however, there was a state ecologic expert's report according to which the territory of the reserve made about 10 thousand hectares of dry land and 783 hectares of sea water area. However, according to the new regulations, the total area of "Utrish" is approximately equal to 10 thousand hectares. Besides, the reserve is now divided into four independent parts and therefore cannot fulfill its nature conservation function, the claimant considers.

"The most valuable territories for the sake of which the reserve was created, i.e. the Black Sea dry subtropics, juniper and pistachio forests, were not included into the territory as a result, Kreidlin remarked. - The organization which took these very lands on lease is of special interest. It is a co-called foundation of non-commercial project "Dar" founded by several commercial firms, in particular, "Levit" limited company which has some kind of relations with "NOVATEH" gas company.

The Ministry of Nature Protection considers that the order issued does not need state ecologic expertise. Besides, representative of the Ministry Alexander Guskov informed that it was initially planned to allot a territory for the reserve twice less than it is now", "Rossyiskaya Gazeta" reports.

According to representative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation Viacheslav Mikhalevich, there was merely a technical error in figures and the Ministry of Nature Protection of the Russian Federation does not really take any territories away from the reserve, Russian Agency of Legal and Juridical Information reports.

No construction on the territories alienated from the reserve has yet started, "Commersant" writes.

It should be reminded that since June, 1, a regime of specially guarded zone has been in force in the territory of "Utrish" nature reserve. Since this day the reserve is closed for "wild" tourists.

Informational notices prohibiting stay in the territory without a permission from Directorate of the reserve or the Ministry of Nature Protection are now placed along the whole way from Anapa to Bolshoi Utrush in the direction Maly Utrish. Tours for organized groups only are permitted in the territory of "Utrish" reserve.