The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine recently boasted that “Zemelnyy Bank” LLC (The Land Bank, an entity managing state-owned agricultural lands) transferred a state land plot of 3,969 hectares in the Kirovohrad region to sub-lease for 14 years via auctions on the ProZorro.Sales system.
While bringing order to the illegal use of state-owned arable land is a welcome initiative, the environmental component is being completely ignored!
On the specific plot with cadastral number 3525884900:02:000:9104, besides the genuinely arable land (rillia), there are also well-preserved steppe areas, small river floodplains (zaplava), and steep slopes. None of these should be plowed.
Crucially, the auction materials made no mention of conservation restrictions or the impossibility of using parts of this land as arable. Land surveyors simply labeled the entire 3,969 hectares as “arable land.”
A Pattern of Violations
This is not an isolated case. Currently, auctions are underway on ProZorro.Sales by the Land Bank for land plots that include forests, meadows, and wetlands.
- For instance, a plot with the number 3221081000:02:002:1645 in the Buchan district of the Kyiv region is almost entirely covered by forest – satellite images even show its planting rows.
- Another plot, 2121287200:01:001:0013 in the Berehove district of the Zakarpattia region, actually overlaps with the lands of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” (DP “Lisy Ukrainy”).
The consequence is alarming: With one hand, the state is distributing land for potential destruction, while with the other, it spends money on creating new forests and tells international partners about its commitment to nature protection.
Last year, we warned about these risks and proposed that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (Min dovkillia), the State Forest Resources Agency (Derzhlisahentstvo), the Land Bank, and “Forests of Ukraine” analyze all such plots. We advocated for a clear distinction, separating genuinely arable land from natural territories that are vital for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
Our warnings were ignored. We hope that officials will finally take notice now and act to protect Ukraine’s valuable natural heritage.
