The Ukrainian State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management (SAZM) kept their promise and removed the E40 waterway from the updated draft 2030 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Development Strategy. Hence, the previous section on the “Development of transport infrastructure” is not included anymore – as requested by several organisations, who argued that these plans were unacceptable.
The revised development strategy takes many comments and suggestions from the public into account. In particular, the proposals from two ‘Save Polesia’ partners – namely the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds and the National Ecological Center of Ukraine (NECU) –as well as from the Public Council under the Ministry of Environment are considered.
‘It is pleasing that the leaders of SAZM kept their word, as did the Minister of Environmental Protection, Roman Abramovsky, who made a similar promise in December 2020. Preventing that the planned E40 waterway would cut through Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone is an important step in the right direction, for the benefits of nature and people alike’
says NECU expert Heorhiy Veremiychyk.
SAZM announced that the process of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Strategy has already started. Public discussion began on April 9, 2021 and lasts until May 8, 2021.
Additional information:
- Read our previous story about the Ukrainian Exclusion Zone development strategy
- Visit our petition page and sign to call on governments to cease construction and properly assess the project
- Learn more about the threats from the E40 waterway and read our factsheet ‘Polesia under threat – How a new waterway could destroy Polesia’s natural environment’
- Find out more about Polesia and read our factsheet ‘About Polesia – A unique wilderness of global importance’
* Top image of a black tern is taken in Polesia © Siarhei Zuyonak