On November 20, 2006, the Russian Federation Government Chairman Mikhail Fradkov signed an Order №1592-r, which determined lands of the Sochi National Park “within the limits of which lands can be handed over for lease to create a mountain-climatic resort”.

The virgin natural areas near the Krasnaya Polyana Settlement such as Grushevy Ridge and the crest and southern slopes of the Aibga Ridge have fallen to these lands list.

The greater part of these areas has had reservation conditions recently and has entered into the reserved zone of the Sochi National Park. They were removed from its structure as a consequence of zoning change of this protected area made towards the Olympics-2014. And the significant part of these areas border upon the Caucasus Reserve and enter into its buffer zone. Caucasus Reserve is the core of the World Nature Heritage Site “Western Caucasus”.

If to confront these areas with the Olympic plans, it becomes clear for what purposes it is necessary. It is planned to place various Olympic objects on these lands – bobsleigh route, mountain Olympic village, ski jumping boards, mountain-skiing complex “Rosa Khutor” and others.

This Government regulation continues the campaign of Russia’s authorities on legal reasoning of land development of the unique natural areas of the Sochi National Park “for the sake of Olympic Games realization”. The initiators of the given regulation are Olympic Committee of Russia (Leonid Tyagachev, the President) and the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (German Gref, the Minister).

The Order №1592-r is accepted with numerous infringements of the legislation requirements and of adoption procedural norms of similar decisions. In order to form visibility of this Order’s “legality”, the expert commission of Federal Service on Supervision in Sphere of Nature Management (Rosprirodnadzor) carried out “the state ecological review” on this Order’s project with the result known in advance. In environmental NGOs opinion the given review is illegitimate. The allocation of sites according to the Order №1592-r is carried out for something abstract, the degree of its influence on natural complexes of the Sochi National Park is not even possible to estimate as there is no information what objects will be placed in indicated areas. The public hearings on the project of the given Order were not carried out; environmental impact assessment was not realized. And the state ecological review could not be carried out lawfully without these stages of EIA process. Environmental Watch on North Caucasus is going to contest the validity of this “ecological review” judicially.

The Order №1592-r is accepted in infringement of security zone mode of the Caucasus Reserve, which was included without authority into the structure of plots, “which can be handed over for lease in order to create a mountain resort “.

Besides, accepting the given Order Russia breaks international obligations according to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

The Order №1592-r keeps on practice of “lawlessness in law” in the sphere of economic development of valuable natural areas of the Sochi National Park.

On February 27, 2003, the former Chairman of RF Government Mikhail Kasyanov signed the first similar Order №238-r. The Order №238-r adopted without state ecological review and in infringement of the Federal Law of Russia “About Especially Protected Areas” permits land development of areas included into reserved and strictly protected zones of the Sochi National Park. Moreover, according to this Order, the territory of the Caucasus Reserve has fallen into the structure of lands subjected to economic development to which the Gasprom Company aspires. It is Tabunny Ridge and natural boundary “Medvezhie Vorota”. This fact was revealed in 2004 by Socio-Ecological Union of Western Caucasus and then it was confirmed in the result of public prosecutor’s check. Two years have passed, however illegal Order has been still functioning. RF Prosecutor-General’s Office refuses to take measures on correction of harsh infringements of legality when accepting this decision.

The consequences of the Order №238-r acceptance are catastrophic for wild nature of Psekhako Ridge. The most part of this ridge, surrounded from three sides by the territory of the Caucasus Reserve, is excised now by scale cleared spaces after forest devastation. More than thousand workers from Turkey conduct the construction of cable-ways and other facilities of mountain-skiing complex. The most part of this ridge is annihilated as the land of wild nature. The Order of the RF Government №1592-r has been preparing the same fate for Grushevy and Aibga Ridges. In a few years forests on these ridges will be also cut down, and the slopes will be built up. The areas, which have the greatest value for conservation of many threatened species on a global scale, will be transformed in urbanized landscapes, where there will be no space for wildlife.

24/12/2006