Environmentalists fear for Khibiny mountains

The adoption of proposed amendments to the federal Law on protected nature territories could jeopardize the environment of the vulnerable Khibiny mountains in the Kola Peninsula, regional environmentalists say.

The proposed amendments will ruin the current system of nature protection, representatives of the organisations Nature and Youth, the Kola Centre of Wild Nature Protection and the Gea Centre say. They are now addressing both federal and regional authorities in a bid to stall the new legislation.

The new law will open of for the possible leasing of nature reserves and nature parks to industrial companies, a press release from the Nature and Youth organisation reads.

They now fear for the wellbeing of the Khibiny mountains in the Kola Peninsula. Mining companies plan huge activities in the central parts of the area and Gazprom wants to construct its Shtokman gas pipeline across the mountains. –If the amendments to the law are adopted, Russia will lose a whole mountain massif, the only one located north of the Arctic Circle, a press release from the organisations reads.

The current law on protected nature territories (OOPT) was adopted in 1995. Russia has 101 forest reserves (zapovedniki), 35 natural parks and 68 game reserves. The OOPTs cover an area of about 560,000 square kilometres.

You can read more about Russia’s protected nature territories on the website of the Russian Centre for the Protection of Wild Nature.

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