Defense will become closer to nature
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In the interests of defense and security, the Ministry of Natural Resources intends to remove some of the environmental restrictions in the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve (Chukotka), which is under the protection of UNESCO. This follows from the draft regulation on protected areas, published by the Ministry of Natural Resources for discussion. For these purposes, the island may allow, in particular, the construction and repair of capital facilities, as well as work that violates the soil cover or changes the hydrological regime. Greenpeace Russia fears that this will create a precedent, after which environmental restrictions for defense and security needs may be lifted in other protected lands. The Ministry of Natural Resources explains that the regime of protected areas “should not create obstacles for the protection of the most important interests of the state in the field of defense and national security.”
The Ministry of Natural Resources has published for public discussion a draft of a new regulation on the Wrangel Island Reserve. The document removes part of the environmental restrictions in force there in the interests of activities related to ensuring defense and security. This, in particular, is about the construction, reconstruction, repair and operation of capital construction facilities, including linear facilities. Restrictions on activities that entail disturbance of the soil cover and changes in the hydrological regime of lands are also removed. In addition, aircraft and helicopters will be allowed to fly at an altitude of 2,000 meters above the territory of the reserve without the consent of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the passage of ships outside public waterways and places permitted by the management of protected areas.
State natural reserve “Wrangel Island” established in 1976, it is the northernmost protected area in Russia. The flora of the territory in terms of its richness and endemicity has no analogues in the Arctic, it says on its website: “To date, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified in the reserve. (…) There are 169 species of birds on land and in the coastal waters of the reserve, most of which are vagrant. (…) On the coastal cliffs of the Wrangel and Herald Islands, there are the largest colonies of seabirds in the Chukchi Sea, the total number of which is estimated at 250-300 thousand breeding individuals. (…) The polar bear, arctic fox, wolverine, wolf, lemming, reindeer, musk ox constantly live on the island; from time to time a red fox comes in.”
Greenpeace Russia draws attention to the fact that the document of the Ministry of Natural Resources does not indicate the specific boundaries of land plots used for defense and security needs, as well as the procedure for their allocation. “Thus, such sites can be allocated anywhere in the reserve, including areas that include especially valuable ecological systems and objects for the sake of which the reserve was created,” the organization concludes. The Greens, recognizing the “need to ensure defense and security,” point out that such vague formulations can lead to the destruction of “especially valuable natural complexes and objects for the sake of which the reserve was created.” “For example, flying without aircraft approval or breaking the sound barrier below 2,000 meters above rookeries can lead to mass death of marine mammals,” says Mikhail Kreindlin, an expert from the organization. mass nesting of rare birds will lead to the loss of key habitats for rare animals. Uncoordinated passage of vessels or their presence in key areas of the reserve for cetaceans may lead to their death or leaving the territory of the reserve.” According to Mr. Kreindlin, such amendments will create a precedent, after which environmental restrictions for defense and security needs can be removed in other protected areas.
Kommersant’s interlocutor in state authorities, who is familiar with the situation, draws attention to the fact that at one time for the units of the Ministry of Defense and the border service that are on the island, they allocated territory that had already been subjected to anthropogenic impact: “Therefore, this did not greatly interfere with the protection of the reserve, subject to environmental protection legislation.” He explains the need to prepare a new regulation on the reserve by the fact that the current document was not approved by the Ministry of Justice in 2011, and also by the fact that since then there have been a number of changes in the protected areas.
Long before the formation of the reserve, on the lands that were part of it, objects were located designed to ensure the defense and security of the state, Kommersant was told in the Ministry of Natural Resources. “The island territories included in the reserve are inextricably linked with the glorious history of the Russian army and navy,” the press service noted. ecological systems and objects for the sake of which the reserve was created. The Ministry of Natural Resources also indicated that a significant number of federal protected areas are located in the border areas. “The regime of specially protected natural areas should not create obstacles for the protection of the most important interests of the state in the field of defense and national security,” the environmental department concluded.
Kommersant sent a request to the Ministry of Defense, but did not receive a response. Vyacheslav Fetisov, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on ecology and head of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation, declined to comment.
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