Axes in the shamanic forest

On the Baikal Island of Olkhon, landowners with renewed forces set about cutting a relict forest and capital construction, which were already recognized by the prosecutor's office of the Irkutsk region illegal. Local residents complain that visiting Chinese and Muscovites are destroying their places sacred to them, and social activists are worried that developers will have time to ruin the ecology of the place before the departments force them to stop the construction.

Sudden neighbors

The inhabitants of the Olkhonsky village of Khuzhir learned about the new neighbors a few years after those bought up local reserved lands.

“The first fence was put in the Gulf of Sarai in 2014, the locals raised their noise due to the fact that the“ neighbor ”began to chop the sacred shamanistic forest for them, and then it turned out that the administration of the Khuzhir municipality sold these plots illegally back in 2009,” the social activist Lyubov Alikina told RS. - I personally came here in May 2017, when the new landowner did not limit myself with a fence and began to build a residential building. Then it turned out that the administration of the village sold sacred places very actively - at that time 14 plots “surfaced”, illegally allocated by local authorities to private individuals.

In the spring of 2017, social activists hastily amounted to several complaints about illegal cutting and construction, sending them to the prosecutor's office of the Irkutsk region, Rosprirodnadzor and the environmental prosecutor's office. The regional prosecutor’s office a month later confirmed that the lands were allocated illegally, but this document did not stop the new owners.

- In July, the second "neighbor" began the cutting of relict trees. According to the documents that he provided to us, the Huzhira authorities allowed him to be residential construction, taking into account small nuances, such as do not touch the trees, and when building a house, drilling a well, organizing a septic tank and laying communications to take into account the "features of the area," the document quotes Lyubov Alikina. - In fact, all these reservations, of course, do not protect either the Shaman forest or the ecological zone of Lake Baikal in which this lawlessness occurs. The allocation of land and issuing permits for construction in this place is absolutely illegal.

By the way, the prosecutor’s check revealed that illegal lands were not 14, but 26.

- The prosecutor's office provided us with information that Olkhon was formed on the territory of the unique Sarai bay of Olkhon and put 26 plots of land on the cadastral registration, belonging to the category of “land of settlements”. 19 of them were allocated for residential construction, buildings are already built or built on four, including a two -story log log house and the design of incomprehensible purpose from metal containers. Most of these sites put on cadastral registration in 2010, but there are 2012, 2014, and 2008. The area of sites is about 1200 squares or slightly larger. Four more sites were allocated with the appointment of tourist complexes. One of them with an area of 10573 squares has not yet been fenced and built up, but is put on cadastral registration in 2007. The other three sites allocated to one private trader in 2014 have a total area of 16,557 squares. They are already surrounded by a common fence, followed by guest houses under the sign of the Turkomplex "Sarai". Another territory of 2400 squares was put on cadastral registration in 2010 for maintaining a personal subsidiary plot, but a residential building has already been built on it. Three sites that the authorities determined for natural cognitive tourism are still owned by the Khuzhir municipality. There they erected the structure of indefinite purpose in 196 squares with only one sign “We opened!”, - the State Duma deputy Nikolai Nikolaev quotes the results of the audit.

While we will prove the obvious in court, the shamanic forest can already be completely cut down

All of the listed areas are located on the lands of the Baikal National Park. According to the conclusion of the Irkutsk Rosprirodnadzor, they also belong to the water protection zone of Lake Baikal within the boundaries of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory. Against the backdrop of these conclusions, social activists summarize, it is illegal precisely the decision of the local administration.

“But while we will prove the obvious in court, the shamanic forest can already be completely cut down,” says Lyubov Alikina. - My practice shows that consideration of such cases occupies an average year.

The place of shamans

The shamanic forest, which suddenly appeared new owners, according to the remark of ecologists, consists of relict pines and larch over more than 400 years. Even now the remaining forest of the forest is in good sanitary condition.

- Trees are viable, they form not only a unique natural landscape, the forest serves as a house for many endemic, representatives of the flora and fauna, which can only be found on Olkhon. There live rare plants listed in the Red Book, ”notes the Irkutsk ecologist, candidate of biological sciences Vitaly Ryabtsev . - The zone of this place should be at least 500 meters. What is happening on the bay now is clearly illegal. However, I have been alarming since 2014, when the first fence appeared there, and the sense of zero!

Not shamans in this forest are generally trying not to happen idle. For karma is fraught

Then, according to the ecologist, he wrote the first statement to the regional prosecutor's office. Today, the department replies that they have prepared claims for recognition of contracts of sale and lease of these lands invalid, as well as applications for the demolition of all buildings and structures in the mentioned areas. Local residents, in whose eyes the construction begins more and more illegal landowners, these messages do not calm down at all.

- This is a place for Olkhon residents sacred. Some ten years ago, not even every day could appear here. Here, the locals are still not noisy, they are on tiptoe, they talk quietly, - the Olkhon shaman Valentin Hagdaev admits. - Not shamans in this forest are generally trying not to happen idle. For karma is fraught. We still spend various rites here, talk with the spirits of the family, ask for a good year. The place is significant and from the point of view of archeology, there are archaenians. What will happen if he is built up?! I think the highest forces will not allow this. I would not want to scare, but one of these who came up, cutting down shamanic larch, recently my father died. The place is special, I am not worried about it, but the trees are sorry: they stood for 400 years, and they were cut off in weeks. News will grow for a long time.

Not all locals are so confident in a prosperous outcome for the Gulf of Sarai. The activity of nonresident and foreign buyers is very concerned about other huzhirs.

When we saw them with chainsaws in our forest, where dozens of generations of holy people, shamans, were buried, almost stunned. What will you do? Throwing them with a pitchfork?

- I don’t understand why the laws are written for some people, and they are a side of others?! We, the islanders in several generations, have to graze cattle on two hundred parts due to environmental legislation, and these Muscovites and Chinese can cut centuries-old pines and build cafes and hotels from them. Of course, all these are not local, knowledgeable people would have climbed to this place?! Although our land is inexpensive, only foreigners and residents of the capital can allow themselves to buy it as hectares, ”says Olkhon, Valery Pogodaeva, resident of Olkhon. - When we saw them with chainsaws in our forest, where dozens of generations of holy people, shamans, were buried, almost stunned. What will you do? Throwing them with a pitchfork? So the performers are not to blame. We already approached and showed the "owners" of paper from the prosecutor's office and the natural supervision. They turn their heads, they say nothing. It turns out that you will have to draw complaints and claims for each "neighbor" separately? During this time, nothing will remain from the island.

There are great chances of defending a piece of land illegally allocated by him, if at least the foundation of the house has managed to fill it on it

According to activists, the assumption of the villagers is not devoid of logic, and it is with an attempt to tighten the time of trials that social activists associate the start of mass development in the Gulf of Sarai.

- Recently, there was a bad precedent in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation: literally this month in the case of an illegally allocated area on which there is an object of incomplete construction, the judge decided to refuse the demolition of the building and the return of the area to the city authorities. What does this mean for our "invaders"? If we are talking about an unfinished residential building, they have a great chance of defending a piece of land that they illegally allocated by him, if they managed to fill at least the foundation of the house on it, ”says activist Lyubov Alikina. - In addition, on the eve of the second reading, the State Duma deputies adopted the so -called law on the forest amnesty, which will also greatly complicate the return of illegally designated lands. Even national parking and water protection zones will be difficult to return.

Today, according to the prosecutor's office of the Irkutsk region, in the case "On the Sarai Bay", the agency evaluates how effective its functions in the protection and protection of the Baikal National Park are performed by the "reserve Baikalia".

"The issue of liability of officials who decided to withdraw these lands under residential and commercial construction is considered," the press service of the department added. The agency forced to stop the cutting of the forest and the construction in the environmental zone of Lake Baikal is not reported.