05 Jul 2007 - Moscow,
Russia – Following the announcement that
Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympic
Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi,
WWF is calling on organizers to ensure that
mountain wilderness areas are protected
when developing new facilities.
In particular, WWF is concerned about the
future of one of the most valuable natural
areas within Sochi National Park, the Grushevaya
polyana ("pear meadow" in Russian),
the projected site of the bobsleigh and
luge tracks and other sports facilities.
“Construction of many of these facilities
will inevitably lead to forest logging and
destruction of habitats of endangered species
and unique flora and fauna of the national
park,” said WWF-Russia CEO Igor Chestin.
“We’re proud that Russia is the Olympic
candidate winner but at the same time we
will do our best to ensure that construction
work does not destroy the environment.”
A Russian environmental expert review expressed
similar concerns in April 2007, noting that
construction plans at the Grushevaya polyana
were “undesirable”. The experts also recommended
excluding hydropower plant construction
plans on the Mzymta River from the Sochi
development programme.
WWF believes that an independent monitoring
review should be conducted in the lead up
to the Olympic Games.
“It is important to construct Olympic facilities
and infrastructure only at sites approved
by the state environmental expert review,”
added Evgeny Shvarts, director of conservation
policy at WWF-Russia.
“The protected nature areas should not
be used for building facilities that have
nothing to do with the Olympic Games. Sochi
development should not lead to the deterioration
of nature reserves and national parks.”
According to WWF, new protected areas should
be created to compensate for the increasing
human pressure on the unique region’s nature
landscapes, some of which were recommended
by the state environmental expert review
as part of the Sochi development programme.
WWF is also urging for the establishment
of the Utrishsky Nature Reserve, which the
Russian government approved as early as
1994.
Masha Vinokurova, Communications Assistant
