The Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG) is issuing an urgent appeal regarding plans to liquidate the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine (Min dovkillia) during the upcoming government vote. The proposal is to merge its functions into the Ministry of Economy, creating a new “Ministry of Resources.”
This move would be a catastrophe for Ukraine’s environment, which is already suffering enormously from the consequences of russian aggression.
The Critical Role of a Separate Ministry
While we have, at times, been critical of the Ministry of Environmental Protection for specific aspects of its work, its mere existence as a separate, dedicated ministry has been essential. It has served as the only mechanism to partially curb the appetite of those seeking to profit from Ukraine’s natural heritage.
The requirement to obtain the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s approval has been instrumental in stopping harmful plans, including:
- Large-scale logging in old-growth forests, conservation reserves (zakaznyky), and National Nature Parks (NNPs).
- Mass extraction of minerals (like peat, sand, and amber) in forests and wetlands.
- Attempts to legally cancel or degrade existing Protected Areas Fund (PZF) sites.
- The Ministry’s refusal to approve legislative changes has prevented the cancellation of key ecological requirements for economic activities.
Without a separate, dedicated ministry, key conservation regulations adopted over the last five years would not have been passed, including:
- The preservation of naturally regenerated self-seeding forests.
- The establishment of protection zones (okhoronni zony) dedicated to biodiversity conservation.
- The formal ban on felling the oldest trees (veteran trees).
- The creation of a cadastre (register) of Protected Areas.
Undermining European Integration
The proposed liquidation of the Ministry is particularly detrimental given the immediate necessity of implementing European environmental legislation in Ukraine. Adopting and enforcing these complex laws is a core component of Ukraine’s path toward EU membership. This includes implementing:
- The Habitats and Birds Directives.
- The forthcoming Nature Restoration Law.
- The Deforestation Regulation, and many other crucial standards.
Viewing nature solely as a “resource” will lead to catastrophic consequences. Restoring natural ecosystems will cost orders of magnitude more than preserving them now. Furthermore, certain natural features, such as lost primeval forests, will be impossible to restore.
The Real Solution is Accountability
The necessary resources to support the state can and should be obtained by fighting corruption, not by liquidating environmental protection mechanisms. For example, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) prepared a major report on corruption in the forestry sector in February of this year, outlining specific problems and solutions. This report has largely been ignored by foresters, who, instead of halting corrupt schemes, are focusing on increasing logging volumes.
We therefore call for the preservation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources as a separate ministry!
