Another year of work for our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) department has passed, and we are eager to share our results. We continued to work on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our EIA efforts, and we have a lot to show for it.
Here are some “fun” facts and figures:
- This year, we reviewed and processed 2,091 notices and reports for 1,439 EIA cases, which is equivalent to approximately 300,000 to 350,000 pages of text.
- We submitted proposals for 110 cases (compared to 103 last year) and, more importantly, prepared critical comments for 60 cases (47 last year) that could have caused serious harm to nature.
- We also prepared 48 requests for additional analysis for 342 cases from previous years. In total, this amounts to 214 letters sent over the year!
Speaking only of our critical comments, this year we wrote 495 pages of well-founded remarks on EIA reports. This significantly exceeds the average output of even a prolific writer (who might produce a book of 250-350 pages per year).
The average length of our comments for a single case was 8.25 pages, with the maximum this year being 14 pages. And each new set of comments is a difficult fight with its own tactics and strategy.
Two years ago, we achieved an effectiveness rate of 33%, last year it was 48%, and this year we significantly surpassed 50%. This means we fully or partially succeeded in protecting more than half of the natural areas we worked to defend.
Key Achievements of the Year in Numbers
- 19 cases: a complete victory, where the proposed activity was prohibited, the case was closed, sent for a repeated EIA, or our demands were fully met.
- 24 cases: partial acceptance of our demands, which led to significant restrictions on key, dangerous aspects of the proposed activity. In most cases, the activity became impossible to carry out without violating the law, which allows for the activity to be halted if violations are discovered.
- Only 12 cases this year were ignored by the authorized agencies, despite the threat they posed to nature.
Results by Activity Type
- Mining: Sand – 4 (5), Riverbed sand – (1), Oolitic limestone – 2, Peat – (1), Granite – 2 (1), Gabbro – (1), Limestone – (2), Gypsum – 1, Amber – 1 (2), Clay – 1 (1), Mineral complexes – (1), Spoil heaps – (2).
- Hydropower: 1. Wind farms – (4). River damage – 7 (3).
(Numbers without parentheses indicate a full victory, while numbers in parentheses show cases where our demands were accepted, and key restrictions were imposed on the permitted activities.)
A significant portion of these cases involved logging, damage to, or the destruction of natural areas, often protected ones. Practically all of them violated legal requirements. We will continue to be a shield for wild nature in the new year of 2025!
