The environmental prosecutor's office has filed a lawsuit against the Kyiv City Council and executive bodies regarding the official establishment of the boundaries of the Zhukiv Island landscape reserve. This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, writes UNN.
Details
The Zhukiv Island landscape reserve, covering an area of over 1.6 thousand hectares, was created in 1999 to preserve unique species of flora and fauna listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. It is one of the largest nature conservation areas in the capital, important for maintaining biodiversity, forming the Dnipro ecological corridor, and developing Kyiv's recreational infrastructure.
The reserve covers one of Kyiv's largest islands, where meadows, swamps, and post-glacial dunes have been preserved. Numerous channels, riverbeds, lakes, and floodplains are valuable spawning grounds and contribute to the reproduction of fish in the Kaniv Reservoir. In addition, the territory is important for environmental education and recreation for city residents.
Despite numerous statements by the city authorities about the need to fix the boundaries of the reserve, no appropriate measures have been taken for 25 years. Moreover, in the draft of the new master plan of the capital, its territory is not marked as a protected area at all, which creates risks of illegal disposal of these lands. Due to the lack of established boundaries, part of the reserve's lands was illegally transferred to private ownership for development. Thanks to prosecutors' lawsuits, most of them have been returned to communal ownership.