Special status for wetlands

At a time when natural resources are destroyed rather than preserved, one has to appreciate any government initiative aimed at taking care of our parks, forests, lakes, rivers, and so on. Not so long ago, the website of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (http://www.menr.gov.ua/) informed that the ministry had submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers the draft resolution “On Measures to Coordinate the Attachment of International Importance to Bodies of Water and Wetlands.” In other words, several bodies of water and wetlands are proposed to be granted a special legal status. One can only hope that the public servants in charge are truly aware of the importance of saving Ukraine’s natural resources and nature preserves, and that this document wasn’t simply made in conjunction with the UN World Water Day, marked on February 2.

The website further informed that this status would serve to better protect such territories and attract international funds to help with their development. As it is, the ministry proposes to grant a special status to nine bodies of water and wetlands, including those in Atak and Borzhava (over 280 hectares), the 256-ha Narcissus Valley, the 13-m Friendship Cave, and the 15-ha Black Muck in Zakarpattia. In Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, this status may be received by the water reservoir of Burshtyn (1,200 ha), some of the estuaries of the rivers Pohorilets and Prut, as well as the Dnister River. There is a 37-ha wetland known as Nadsiannia in Lviv oblast. At present, Ukraine’s 33 bodies of water and wetlands have this international status, of which 22 were granted it back in 1995. Seven years ago, the Ramsar Convention (in full: “The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat”) provided for the granting of this status to another 11 Ukrainian wetlands, which are within the boundaries of the nature preserves.

The Day asked Hennadii MARUSHEVSKY, manager of the Black Sea’s Wetlands International program, for comment on this status for Ukraine’s wetlands and whether they actually need it.

What motivated the current project of our Ministry of Ecology and National Resources? How will Ukraine benefit from this?

“Under the Ramsar Convention (signed in 1977), any country can join it, provided that it recognizes at least one wetland as having international importance. Special criteria are applied in qualifying a given wetland as being of international importance. These criteria have to do with the uniqueness of the site, the presence of one of four designated waterfowl and fish varieties, and so on. This convention was intended to help expand such wetlands across the world twofold. Anyway, we heard such statements five years ago, so each [member] country would undertake certain commitments. At the time, Ukraine had 22 such wetlands, later another 11; now there are 13 such territories claiming the status.”

How do these wetlands change after receiving this status?

“Even now we have to sustain legal collisions, considering that our domestic legislation doesn’t even have a clear definition of ‘wetlands.’ At the same time, the [top and local bureaucracy’s] attitude is gradually changing for the better. We can expect many kinds of changes there, as in the Danube delta case, when building a navigable channel topped the agenda. This channel was to cut through a biosphere nature preserve, along with wetlands that had this international status. At the time, this status helped. This status helps people protect the environment; it gives them additional legal grounds. Another aspect about the Ramsar Convention is that each and every wetland must have a management plan. This clause has been increasingly ignored over the years, even though it is on a constant upward curve. Accordingly, this problem is linked to working out action plans, rather than gran-ting the status. Such an action plan must be worked out in collaboration with all the interested parties, including the populace bordering the wetlands.”

Summing up, do you think that Ukraine is acting in accordance with the Ramsar Convention?

“It is, in terms of wetlands of international importance. Our problem now is taking stock of these wetlands, considering that some may have withered away (given the ravages of time) and lost the required degree of biodiversity. Indeed, Ukraine is taking steps in the right direction. We’re taking part in various transborder wetland projects, particularly with Moldova, in the territories of Mohyliv-Podilsky, in the vicinity of the rivers Pripiat and Stokhod. We might have seen more progress if not for all those random border conflicts, yet our community has always been on the look-out, sending messages to the Ramsar Convention’s headquarters, with the latter forwarding formal inquiries to the ministry — and receiving only formal replies.”

Would you happen to have a list of the wetlands that you believe should be granted this status?

“The problem is whether or not such wetlands meet with the convention’s criteria. We have lots of such territories. Now we have what we call s ‘shadow’ list. It refers you to the wetlands that just could qualify. There is a total of 23 wetlands, yet there are problems, considering that keeping them protected is more often easier said than done, unless they have this international importance status. And so the ministry’s current stand is to grant the Ramsar status only to those wetlands that are already within the boundaries of the duly qualified territories. You see, each such territory must have clearly defined boundary lines, legally agreed upon with the local land tenants. The problem is that these tenants are loath to let their farmlands into anyone else’s custody. Our organization has generated a database for 300 wetlands. This database is being updated, so these territories could in principle claim that ‘special importance’ status. Every winter we monitor the waterfowl population in the Black Sea region. For example, there are 7,000 such birds in Georgia, compared to 35,000 in Turkey, and one million in Ukraine. Our wetlands are of utmost importance for waterfowl, so we must have more of them.”