For almost two years, more than 3,000 hectares of the virgin (primaeval) forests of Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) have remained without the status of a virgin forest monument of nature. The state forest is unlucky with the location – the lands in the neighbourhood either belong to businesses or the locals have plans for them.
These are virgin forests under the Runa and Borzhava mountain ranges – the peaks and slopes planned to be built into tourist facilities. The virgin forests under the Krasna forest do not interfere with construction, but they have already started to be cut down anyway.
The mentioned protected forests grow in the forests of the Mizhhirskyi, Mokryanskyi and Uzhgorodskyi State Forestry Enterprises. They found themselves under threat after the deputies of the Zakarpattia Regional Council in February 2021 failed to vote on granting them the status of the virgin forest nature monuments.
The regional council members referred to the letters received on the eve of the vote from the Turiye-Remet and Ust-Chorna United Territorial Communities, which the regional Council itself asked to send. Already at the second plenary session, the issue was excluded from consideration altogether, and for almost two years, they did not return to it again.
The WWF-Ukraine forest project coordinator Mykhailo Bogomaz, whose colleagues were engaged in the search for potential virgin forest areas in the Zakarpattia, recalls that the mentioned state forestry enterprises did not object to the appearance of the virgin forest nature monuments.
Environmentalists prepared and agreed on conclusions with forest users – state forestry enterprises and submitted them to the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Zakarpattia Oblast together with petitions for the creation of the virgin forest nature monuments of local importance. Next, Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration sent the documents to establish new objects for the protected areas to the regional Council.
Mr Mykhailo Bogomaz says that in the Perechynskyi and Mizhhirskyi forestry enterprises, the issue of assigning the status of the virgin forests’ nature monuments has stopped due to the plans of businesses and local authorities to build ski tracks and related facilities there.
«But if the enterprises agreed, no forestry activity can be done there. It’s a little surprising because the Perechynskyi Forestry Enterprise was the first to sign the conclusion on January 2, 2019, and only then it turned out that there were local nuances that we were completely unaware of,» he adds.
How the virgin forests were divided for use in the Turiye-Remety areas
Since 2021, the Regional Council of the Zakarpattia has no longer put to the vote the question of protection of 267 hectares of virgin forests in the Shipot forestry department of the Perechynskyi State Forestry Enterprise.
These areas in the foothills of Runa conflict with the interests of the Zakarpattia Employers’ Federation and the head of LLC — Limited liability company «STS», Mr Volodymyr Panov. The company owns and uses at least 30 hectares of land for recreational construction near the old-growth forest and on top of the polonyna – a high meadow at the subalpine belt.
The Regional Council of the Zakarpattia’s decision not to support the protection of virgin forests in Shipot may be related to the fact that back in 2007, the Council agreed to the location of the ski resort “Uzhgorod – Polonyna Runa” on 1,440 hectares in Turichky and Turia Polyana areas, which today are part of Turiye-Remety local community. The ski resort project for “STS” was developed, in particular, by “Zuskin s.r.o.” from Slovakia and “Hotel Partner” from Croatia.
LLC “STS” is part of “Atoll Holding”, which is controlled by the owner of the “Eurocar” car factory in Zakarpattia, Oleg Boyarin.
The head of the Turiye-Remety local community, Nadiya Devitska, says that on the eve of the session, they received a letter from the regional Council, which talked about the upcoming vote for the protection of virgin forests in the Perechynskyi State Forestry Enterprise. The letter’s authors emphasised the limitations of economic activity in the protected areas.
«The letter from the first deputy head of the regional Council, Andriy Sheketa, stated that the nature protection regime of such zones includes a ban on felling, construction, road laying, livestock grazing, and industrial harvesting non-timber forest products, and traffic. And we have up to 40 cars that take out people for half of the bilberry harvest. That’s why we were asked to submit our proposal, and we understood that the issue is serious,” says the head of the community.
Then, according to Devitska, they held meetings with the State Forestry and the United Territorial Community Land Commission. At these meetings, areas of virgin forests were determined which, in the opinion of the head of the community and village elders, should be protected. Later, at the session, they discovered whether virgin forests are adjacent to private land plots for recreational purposes.
«At the session, there were remarks that no one will be able to build tourist and recreational facilities there (in the virgin forests and nearby – ed.). I remember the discussion,» says Vladyslav Plovayko, headman of the village of Turichky.
«We even sent a letter to Panov Volodymyr Oleksiyovych (head of “STS” LLC) in which we asked him to consider and provide his visions and proposals (regarding virgin forests – ed.). He said, “Okay”, it might touch here, not much at all, but it might. That is, we have carefully studied this issue,» adds Nadiya Devitska.
The Regional Council also confirmed that the neighbourhood with the “STS” plots is the reason for withdrawing from the vote to protect virgin forests in the Shipot forestry department. Despite the recognition of interference with the law, they are still determining if they can vote for those areas. “It is unlikely that we will find a common language on Shipot,” Andriy Sheketa, the first deputy chairman of the Zakarpattia Regional Council, is convinced.
In Zakarpattia Oblast, no forests belong to communities, that is, communal forests. There is only the state forest fund, 87.1% of which is used by the enterprises of the regional management of forestry and hunting – state forest enterprises. The rest is in permanent use by the Ministry of Ecology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Défense and reserve land. The protected areas occupy 14% of the territory of the region.
World-class national heritage
We met with the NGO “Danube-Carpathian Program” founder, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Bohdan Prots in an old forest near Mukachevo in the village of Pavshyno. Here, among the ancient trees, the scientist says that as a former WWF leader in Ukraine, he was involved in both the development of the methodology and the identification and preservation of virgin forests in the Zakarpattia region for several years.
«Old-growth forests, which include virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests, and natural forests, have a huge collection of different natural connections and create the most diverse centres of extraordinary beauty that form the system of biological life on Earth. These are spiritual, emotional, and scientific definitions of national heritage. It is a place where we get to know ourselves as a nation, family and individual. However, these forests also have a multi-functional practicality as a habitat for animals to hunt, a supplier of drinking water in our wells, and a global climate change mitigator in the region so that it is less hot in the summer. An ancient forest is berries, mushrooms, dead wood, a centre of tourism, recreation and eco-education, it is a source of genetic stock for the reproduction of a young forest, and it is also part of our cultural heritage and national identity. Deforestation is the last thing we should do to these ecosystems,» Bohdan Prots explains.
CERTIFICATE
Virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests, and natural forests are national natural heritage as the oldest Ukrainian forests, which differ among themselves in the extent to which human activity has affected their existence. The most valuable are those that have not had any human intervention for several centuries. That is, they did not cut down the forest, drive vehicles, or graze livestock here. In the Carpathians, such areas are, as a rule, located in hard-to-reach and remote places. The beech virgin forests of the Carpathians are part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
The scientist adds that the problem of preserving virgin forests in forestry is sabotaging the implementation of the law on virgin forests by forest enterprises. Enterprises do not have a direct profit in these territories because they are prohibited from conducting forestry activities there. He sees the solution in compensations for forestry within the boundaries of natural monuments, including through the assessment of ecosystem services and assistance in tourism orientation.
«For foresters, there should be a compensation evaluation mechanism so that it would also be profitable to maintain “virgin forest nature monuments”. This is on the one hand. On the other hand, virgin forest nature monuments provide forestry with certain ecosystem services, some of which are unrealised yet and financially unappreciated for forestry enterprises. In particular, we are talking about tourism and recreation. For tourists, access to virgin forests is allowed. Harvesting non-timber forest products is also possible if it is not an industrial harvest,» adds Bohdan Prots.
But most forestry enterprises need to improve at coping with tourism development. They need to learn how to organise it or how to develop it. Although in the current conditions, tourism would bring profits to forest enterprises.
According to Bohdan Prots, only 25% of the territories of virgin forests designated as such after 2018 are under adequate protection. Some of them, 5-20% depending on the forestry enterprises, have already lost the characteristics of virgin forests due to deliberate fragmentary feeling due to sabotage.
Documents for part of the plots with virgin forests or old-growth forests, on which qualified scientists and experts worked, lie in the regional councils and do not go any further. Another part is that the forest enterprises do not agree and need to form legal commissions to check the status.
The risk that the virgin forests will be felled, as in the Mokryanske or Yasynianske State Forestry Enterprises, is increasing yearly. In the future, this will inevitably lead to their disappearance:
«Strange things happen: first they block (the creation of “virgin forest nature monuments” – ed.), and then these forests are damaged. We had many such cases. Here it would be best if you sat down at the negotiating table. We can only move forward once all sites that meet the methodology criteria are saved. This is a critical issue.»
The forest that hinders the “Olympic hope” in Borzhava
The deputies received an appeal from the Mizhhirya United territorial community (hromada) not to vote to support the creation of virgin forest nature monuments on the eve of the second plenary meeting in May 2021. This blocked the protection of more than half a thousand hectares of virgin forests in the Mizhhirskyi State Forest Enterprise.
A third of these virgin forests are under Mount Kichera, at the foot of the Borzhava foothills. Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk, an ecologist from the NGO “Ekosphera”, spoke about the value and vulnerability of this forest. We talked to the expert at an altitude of more than 1,000 m above sea level, in the middle of an untouched beech forest.
According to Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk, she and her colleagues have yet to see the detailed plans of the resort in Borzhava. Nevertheless, they have reason to believe that the plots near Kychera did not vote precisely because of the prospect of this construction.
«The basis for declaring virgin forests as virgin forests and protected areas is scientific reasoning and the agreement with forest owners or permanent users. All. All these requirements were fulfilled, and the Department of Ecology and natural resources of Zakarpattia Regional Administration provided (to the regional Council – ed.) a complete package of documents – says the ecologist. – Why the regional Council did not vote, you should ask those deputies who sabotaged the vote.»
In her opinion, the regional Council exceeded its powers.
«Letters from the Zakarpattia Regional Council to the selected communities testify to the Regional Council’s efforts to manipulate these communities and explain its sabotage of the implementation of the state policy regarding virgin forests in the opinion of the local communities. The status of “virgin forest nature monuments” in no way limits the activities of communities in these forests. You can collect mushrooms and berries for your needs, herd cattle for pasture, and develop ecological tourism there. The restrictions apply only to forestry activities, which, due to inaccessibility or other reasons, have not been carried out in these forests until now, which allowed them to reach the state of virgin forests. Moreover, these restrictions come into effect when the forestry enterprises approve the conclusions on identifying virgin forest areas, and no retroactive law exists. Therefore, these “dances with tambourines” around the communities look strange, to say the least,» the expert notes.
The virgin forests in the Izkiv Forestry Department are not directly adjacent to the seized 450 hectares of Leitner-Lyovochkin, on which, under the guise of a private-state partnership, the Office of the President and the Government are promoting Yanukovych’s former “Olympic Hope – 2022” under a new name – the “Borzhava” cluster. But there is a reason why the regional Сouncil did not vote to declare Izkiv virgin forests as protected natural monuments.
In Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration, ignoring environmental risks, they are moving toward implementing the “Olympic hope”. For this, more than 55 hectares of forest will be removed from the Mizhhirskyi State Forestry Enterprise, changing the purpose of the forestry lands to recreational. In the future, ski trails and other tourist infrastructure will likely be built on the site of this forest.
The virgin forest is not the only value of Borzhava. Polonyna (high mountain meadow) is an object of the Emerald Network. This means that Borzhava has an exceptional environmental significance for Ukraine and Europe, which is essential for preserving biodiversity. The development model for such territories is fixed in the Carpathian Convention and includes sustainable tourism but excludes large resorts, which can carry an unbearable load for vulnerable ecosystems.
«Today, there are already several resorts in the Borzhava region. But these small ski resorts fit perfectly into the concept of preserving the entire massif, which is an object of the Emerald network. If we are talking about such things as a mega-resort and an influx of tourists, then it is necessary to count here. Determining the maximum permissible recreational load on a natural object is necessary. We must know and understand how many tourists can visit Borzhava’s captivity in one day at the same time or how many tourists can simultaneously visit this or that object of the protected areas. We don’t have any numbers here,» concludes Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk.
The journalists sent a request to the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration to comment on how the project is being implemented and whether its economic benefit outweighs the environmental risks and the need to cut down more than 55 hectares of forest. The regional military administration refused to comment, citing a lack of time.
However, we communicated with the head of the Pylypets local community, Vitaliy Pyrynets. His local community did not send letters to the regional Council but is also against protecting virgin forests. They say it can hurt community development opportunities.
Mr Pyrynets admits that he does not understand the meaning of virgin forests and how the laws on virgin forests and the nature reserve fund (protected areas) work. However, like his colleagues in Turie-Remety, Mizhhirya and Ust-Chorna, he is convinced that before protecting the virgin forests, they should have asked the opinion of the community, given time to study the issue and express their position.
«They called me and asked if I knew community issues were being resolved. And I’m hearing it for the first time, – says Vitaliy Pyrynets. – Our position was against it because I thought, and was also told, that this (granting the status of “virgin forest nature monuments” in Mizhhirskyi State Forestry Enterprise – ed.) could limit us in the development of tourism. Guided by this, we asked that the question not be voted on. But not because we are against virgin forests but because we need time to figure it out. After that, the question was not raised anywhere else.
The community supports the Borzhava Polonyna ski resort. But they say the plan is only possible by establishing a water supply and constructing sewerage. According to Pyrynets, about 70% of the residents of Pylypets already complain about the lack of water. In addition, there needs to be more electricity capacity. “Now they are busy with this,” comments the chairman.
Foresters from Mokryanske Enterprise are fighting against “virgin forest nature monuments” through loggings
Another letter on the eve of the February 2021 vote was sent to the regional Council from Ust-Chorna local community. Like the Turiye-Remet community, they were asked by the Regional Council to comment on the ballot for the will. The head of the community, Petro Kostiak, also says that he is not against virgin forests in general but only against protection plots of land in the state forestry enterprises without the consent of the village council.
Above the western outskirts of Ust-Chorna is the Krasna Polonyna (highland mountain meadow). At least half a thousand hectares of virgin forests grow in a semi-circle under the mountain from north to south. «We graze our cattle, cows, and sheep on the Krasna Polonyna. There is a shepherd in the community. And all these plots, as we know, should be included in the conservation fund. We would like to agree somehow to pass there and graze cattle. In those quarters (virgin forests – ed.), people also collect bilberry, how do they earn money, and they would like them (all areas) to stay with the community,» says the head of the village.
During the conversation, Petro Kostyak suddenly began to be indignant again, why the protection of virgin forest plots was agreed only with the land user, i.e. with the State Forestry Enterprise. He believes his community also has the right to the forests below the timberline: «In some places, the forest belongs to the village councils. Therefore, why can’t we, by the law on decentralisation, create a communal institution of forestry? If they said everything about the community – let’s go. Let’s create a utility company and manage and earn money ourselves. After decentralisation, the state said everything would be handed over to the local communities.»
The foresters of the neighbouring Mokryan State Forestry Enterprise are fighting the old-growth forests with their methods. In 2021, trees were still cut down in areas recognised as virgin forests. The State Inspectorate of the Zakarpattia region confirmed this. Based on the collected evidence, the Sixth Investigative Department of the Regional Directorate of the Security Intelligence Service in Uzhgorod is conducting a pre-trial investigation for abuse of office.
This State Forestry Enterprise refused to comment live on felling in virgin forests and asked to send a request. In a written response, the foresters explained that the areas with old-growth forests they agreed upon do not correspond to the methodology for determining whether forest areas belong to old-growth forests.
Mykhailo Bogomaz from WWF-Ukraine says that the Mokryan State Forestry Service did not officially contact them regarding the non-compliance of the identified virgin forests with the methodology and did not provide any documents that felling was carried out in those areas before. Otherwise, according to WWF-Ukraine, they were ready to make changes to the conclusion.
«It turns out that the Mokryan Forestry Enterprise agreed to the “virgin forest nature monuments” establishment, and now, two and a half years later, it says that everything was dishonest. Then it is only a question of the honesty and competence of the forest enterprise, – comments the environmentalist and adds: – The situation with the Mokryan Forestry Enterprise has shown how great is the risk of not recognising the nature protection status of virgin forest nature monuments.»
According to the law, virgin forests acquire protected status immediately after signing the conclusion by the owner or land user. From this moment on, it is forbidden to carry out forestry activities there.
Although on the legal level, the failure of the regional Council to vote for the protection of virgin forests does not weaken the effect of the relevant law, at the local level, it is a kind of signal for its neglect, which is why environmentalists are worried.
«The position of the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration is such that you, guys, don’t worry. Forestry enterprises have signed up for the fact that they protect this forest. Therefore, the protected regime is the same, and the felling rules are the same as if it were a virgin forest nature monument. But experience shows otherwise because logging was appointed at the Mokryan Forestry Enterprise. In my opinion, in the opinion of WWF-Ukraine, if it were a protected area, no one would have appointed a log house there. Therefore, let me repeat, yes, we see risks in this (in not voting for the protected status of virgin forests – ed.)», emphasises Mykhailo Bogomaz.
On the eve of the first plenary meeting of the session on February 25, 2021, letters to the local communities were signed by Andrii Sheketa, the first deputy chairman of the Zakarpattia Regional Council. He says that the regional Council is constantly clarifying the position of communities on various issues even when the law does not require it.
In the case of voting for virgin forests’ nature monuments, community leaders and representatives were also invited to the commission meeting. «Mostly, they were against it,” says Andrii Sheketa. – It was necessary to convince people that creating new protected areas poses no threat or problems. No one wants to live under restrictions.»
According to him, Panov approached the head of the regional Council, Oleksiy Petrov, several times with the question of the fate of virgin forests in the Shipot forestry department of the Perechynskyi State Forestry Enterprise. The businessman voiced his vision for developing the tourism business in this conversation.
«This factor was then taken into account. That is, if we now decide to strengthen the ecological direction, then, conditionally, we will weaken the development of the business or tourist direction there,» argues the deputy head of the Zakarpattia Regional Council.
After the second plenary session in May 2021, regional council deputies appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) with a request to amend the Law “On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine” so that communities also agree on the creation of protected area objects. Within a week, the Ministry of Environmental Affairs responded to the Zakarpattia Regional Council that this norm already exists for forests owned by communities.
In June 2022, the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration appealed to the regional Council to consider protecting virgin forests in the Mizhhirskyi, Mokryanskyi and Perechynskyi state forestry enterprises. However, there have yet to be any relevant project decisions on the website of the Regional Council.
Virgin forests near Svydovets, resort and “black loggers”
The story of protecting virgin forests in the Mizhhirskyi, Mokryanskyi and Perechynskyi state forestry enterprises may end shortly if there is political will. The situation is much worse for virgin forests in the areas under the Svydovets massif in Rakhiv County, which the Yasynianske State Forestry Enterprise refuses to approve.
In the summer of 2019, in Yasynia, foresters and residents blocked the work of the field commission of the Ministry of Environment, which was created due to the refusal of the State Forestry Enterprise to approve the investigated virgin forests. Numerous experts from forestry and scientific institutes, organisations and the public sector witnessed an absolute power scandal committed by opponents of virgin forests and supporters of constructing a mega ski resort on Svydovets.
And in December of the same year, illegal logging was discovered in those areas. And already in December of the same year, it was found in those areas – it remains.
«At the end of last year, we conducted field research on the Svydovets massif and found that more than 15% of virgin forests were destroyed or lost their status. This is almost 90 hectares of the 570-hectare territory studied in detail in the Dovzhanske Forest department of the Yasynianske State Forestry Enterprise. In addition, new forest roads were laid there to develop future areas (with virgin forests – ed.). This indicates that there will be continued work there in the future. It should be noted that there is a direct threat of loss of virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests on the territory of Dovzhanske, Chornotysyanskyi and Stanyslavske forestry departments», – says the head of the NGO “Danube-Carpathian Program”, PhD. Bohdan Prots.
The war complicates the process of preserving national heritage. In 2022, the situation worsened due to the lack of restrictions on access to public data, primarily logging tickets and forest management materials. Therefore, new violations can only be detected independently when going to forest areas, which, as a rule, are difficult to access. Today, the public, which used to help protect nature, allows the army and refugees.
Mykhailo Bogomaz from WWF-Ukraine also confirms the felling in the virgin forests of the Yasynianskyi State Forestry Enterprise. He says that in case foresters do not agree with the conclusion, they should confirm historical felling by logging tickets. Or the Ministry of the Environment should organise a commission with a field visit to these forest areas to reach a compromise collegially.
Instead, the Ministry of Environment asks WWF-Ukraine to finalise the conclusion, taking into account the decision of the session of the Yasynia settlement council, where local deputies speak out against the protection of virgin forests in the Yasynianske state forestry farm and inform that they have forbidden the director of the state enterprise to approve the conclusion.
Meanwhile, the Yasynianskyi State Forest Enterprise will pay over UAH 200,000 to “Green Square Environmental Consulting Group” LLC to prepare a new conclusion on the presence of virgin forest areas. Although at the legislative level, there is no procedure for cancelling the preliminary decision designed by WWF-Ukraine.
Mykhailo Bogomaz suggests that this protest by foresters and local government may be related to plans to build a mega ski resort on the Svydovets massif: «There may be another moment with the infamous Svydovets resort because half of the plots are within the planned resort and this is a proven fact, that former or current deputies of the village council and foresters have plots of private land there (in Krachunieska, which is adjacent to the virgin forests – ed.). Therefore, everything is relatively clear for us.»
The virgin forests near Svydovets may interfere with Valeriy Kolomoiskyi and Gennadiy Bogoliubov LLC’s “Skorzonera” interests. In 2016, the company turned to the Rakhiv County State Administration with a request to support the implementation of the ski resort project on Svydovets Mountain Range near Dragobrat. The Rakhiv and Tyachiv county state administrations endorsed the project and approved detailed plans of the ski resort construction with violations.
Since 2017, members of the Free Svydovets environmental community have challenged them in court to preserve this pristine corner of the Ukrainian Carpathians.
While the virgin forests are waiting for a state commission from the Ministry of Environment, unknown people are nearby cutting down the old-growth forest. Spruce trees were felled under the Krachunieska Polonyna near Dragobrat, outside the forest plots, which were taken to the private property of the locals as hayfields because Yasynia foresters do not want to reconcile one of the plots with virgin forests. The State Inspectorate confirmed the illegal logging and sent the materials to the Rakhiv Police Department.
Together with the biologist from the “Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group” Yehor Hrynyk, we walked to this logging site through virgin forests and “nobody’s” old-growth forest, which grows 1,200 meters above sea level. Even here, in this forest without status and defined land users, people not only with saws or cattle but also, in general, are not frequent visitors.
– What is the value of this forest, and what threatens it? “Black loggers”? – I ask Yehor Hrynyk.
– This forest is valuable because it is old-growth, – he explains. – Here, on a relatively small area of these islands of biodiversity, species that are not found anywhere else can live. And preserving them from the point of view of nature conservation is a primary task. Such forests are threatened by forestry activities, specifically by the mega ski resort on Svydovets. “Black loggers” are not a significant threat compared to forestry because, as a rule, old-growth forests are located in hard-to-reach areas high in the mountains. But you see here in the “no man’s” forest; they create a problem. It would be fair to say that the forest we see falls under the quasi-virgin or natural forest criteria. Our legislation allows it to be preserved.
Olena Mudra, investigative journalist
