June 14

Conflict in the Russian Arctic: on the territory of the planned National Park "Khibina", an industrial road with dump trucks may soon appear

This will reduce the “no” efforts to preserve the Red Book types of territory and promote ecological tourism in the region, I am sure WWF

Khibiny is the largest mountain range in the north-west of Russia, a place that can easily and quickly can get from the megacities and the central part of the country. For more than 80 years, tourists come here, school camps, student research expeditions have been organized annually. At the end of last year, as a result of many years of work of ecologists and scientists, the creation of a national park in this territory was included in the concept of development of specially protected natural territories of Russia. According to this document, the park should be created in 2015.

However, in parallel, the Kibin protection work, the Government of the Russian Federation issued a license to master the Apatit-Nefelin field The Partycorr of the North-Western Phosphorus Company (NWFK), in the northern part of Khibin. The conflict turned around due to the construction of the road, on which the ore will be taken out with huge dump trucks. Almost all the options offered by industrialists are jealous of the feasibility of creating a national park.

“ We are sure that there are few people who wish to enjoy the wildlife under the roar of dump trucks and seeing industrial dumps instead of mountain peaks, especially given the compactness of Khibin ,” said Oleg Duratkaitis, the head of the Barents branch of WWF Russia . - WWF initiated a meeting in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation , following which the letter was sent to the governor of the Murmansk region M.V. Kovtun, and the NWFK was proposed to submit alternative transportation options until May 10. There was no reaction . ”

The company evades public consultations and public discussion of its project, but announced its intention to start laying the road and building a mine this summer. According to the press service of the North-West II, potential cooperation within the framework of the project was recently discussed with representatives of the Norwegian business and the Consul General of Norway in Murmansk Mr. Ewind Nordsletten. The participation of Norway officials is perplexed due to the obvious contradiction between the support of the North -Western Administrative Offenses of the Murmansk Region, for many years financed by the Norwegian government. At least, consultations with the Russian public should be the condition of such participation.

“ The field itself and the licensed section are located outside the designed park, but the intersection of the alleged road of all tourist routes and the dissection of the park will make the development of recreation impossible. Now it is still possible to combine the interests of the protection of nature, tourism and mining, until we received another Baikal Central Bank, the problem of which will be discussed for decades later, ”says Igor Chestin, director of WWF Russia . - The field will be developed over 50 years, and the park will be used for centuries. Therefore, we insist on the implementation of decisions adopted at a meeting in the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia - the North -West II must submit alternative options and conduct their open discussion with the public, and the government of the Murmansk region should not lease land of the designed park without coordination from the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. ”