Environmentalists criticized the draft document of the Ministry of Natural Resources on buildings permitted in forests Ecologists found in the idea of the department a threat to one of the main resources of Russia, the criticism is connected with the lack of clear criteria for structures in the document, writes Kommersant.
The current list of objects was approved by the government in 2013, and the new one will be on the public discussion until November 24, 2021. Most of its points are listed in the old rules, but the new wording “capital temporary building used for recreational purposes” seemed suspicious to ecologists.
Experts interviewed by Kommersant believe that almost any construction projects – cottages, restaurants, hotels, a Ferris wheel and others – are suitable for the described concept. “They are connected with the recreation of citizens, therefore they fall under the recreational activity,” said Aleksey Yaroshenko from the Greenpeace Russia organization.
It is expected that such facilities will be allowed to be built in protective forests, which reduce the risk of destruction of settlements from precipitation, winds, avalanches and anthropogenic impact. The exception will be urban forests, forest parks and green areas. The current legislation does not allow the construction of facilities for entertainment and tourism in forests – only sports facilities and infrastructure for geological research are allowed to be erected.
Greenpeace predicted that developers will first of all begin to develop territories near large cities. The Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) indicated that most of the protected forests are located in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, as well as in the Caucasian regions.
Andrey Eremin, a lawyer for the Amuleks service, suggests that the wording does not exclude the development of elite real estate. To prevent the destruction of forests, according to the expert, it is necessary to clearly describe the categories of permitted capital buildings, indicate the specific purposes of their use and the timing of their placement.
However, the Ministry of Natural Resources assures that ecologists have no reason to worry. The department refers to the recently adopted amendments to the Forestry Code. The current law implies that it is unacceptable to use a plot of land from the forest fund for the construction of residential or commercial real estate.
During a video address at the UN Climate Change Conference in early November, President Vladimir Putin called forests a unique resource in Russia. According to the head of state, it will be possible to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 mainly due to forest ecosystems. Putin clarified that Russian forests have significant potential to absorb carbon dioxide and generate oxygen and account for almost 20 percent of the world's forests.