Building company fined in Krasnodar Territory for felling trees near Anapa

The Krasnodar Regional Department of "Rosprirodnadzor" (Russian Agency for Nature Supervision) has found the "Glavpromstroy" Company guilty of felling trees in the territory of the State Reserve "Bolshoi Utrish" near the city of Anapa and imposed administrative penalties for the total sum exceeding 2 million roubles. The Company refuses to agree with this decision.

We remind you that the "Caucasian Knot" already reported that ecological organizations demand to stop the construction of the highway Sukko-Utrish in the "Bolshoi Utrish" Reserve not far from Anapa, where by 2010 a wildlife sanctuary should be created.

Elena Egorkina, leading legal adviser of the "Glavpromstroy", has stated that the Company does not find itself guilty of felling rare trees. As she said, the Company performed works under the contract with the Crimean Forestry and could not suppose that this territory had any Red Book varieties. Ms Egorkina said that the Company has appealed against the "Rosprirodnadzor" sanctions.

On the Internet, a signing-in campaign has been launched of the appeal to Russian President and Government to create the "Bolshoi Utrish" wildlife sanctuary in the Krasnodar Territory (at: http://www.save-utrish.ru/english).

In January 2009, many Russian cities held actions in support of the "Bolshoi Utrish" Nature Reserve. Thus, on January 18, such action took place in Volgograd, and on January 17, defenders of the Reserve held a picket and singing-in campaign in the Chistoprudny Boulevard in Moscow against felling trees in the protected territory. And on January 9, an action and open concert in defence of the "Bolshoi Utrish" were held in St-Petersburg. Similar actions took place in other cities.