Construction equipment has been deployed on the Svyidovets Massif in the Ukrainian Carpathians to install a wind measuring tower. This move confirms that developers are actively planning the construction of a Wind Power Plant (WPP), or wind farm, in the area.
In preparation for this, the developers have already started compiling the necessary documentation and initiated the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure—a comprehensive evaluation required for large-scale projects, which comes before the project-specific EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment).
Can This Be Stopped and the Unique Area Saved?
Yes, it can. The current activity is only the beginning of the permitting process, which is expected to take at least half a year to secure all necessary documents for construction.
However, the appearance of construction equipment on Svyidovets is a direct consequence of the inaction by the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration (OMA) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (Min dovkillia).
The Svyidovets Massif is a unique highland territory known for its vast subalpine meadows (polonynas) and significant biodiversity.
Failures to Act on Protected Area Status
- In the spring of 2023, a petition to the President of Ukraine regarding the establishment of the “Free Svyidovets” Reserve (zakaznyk) collected the requisite 25,000 votes.
- Furthermore, the need to create a reserve on Svyidovets was noted by the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy in its decision in October 2024, and by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in official letters in late 2024.
- Crucially, to grant protected status to the majority of the Svyidovets territories, the consent of land users is not required—corresponding exceptions to Ukrainian legislation were introduced in 2021 specifically to overcome administrative obstacles to conservation.
If state bodies had simply fulfilled their obligations, Svyidovets would already possess the necessary protective status.
We call on the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine to finally demonstrate the political will and promptly prepare the documents required for the establishment of the conservation reserve on Svyidovets.
