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International Olympic Committee Shares Responsibility for Caucasian Nature with Russian government
«We have said repeatedly that we don't mind the Olympics as such. We oppose despotism disguised behind it. So far, officials from the government and the application committee have repeatedly said that the location of Olympic venues could not be changed until the decision of the IOC because this could result in the Sochi application being refused. Now there are no obstacles. If the Russian government sincerely cares about the image of Russia and protection of world heritage, they must relocate the projected Olympic venues out of the borders of the buffer zone of the reserve and the Grushevy Ridge», said Andrei Petrov, head of the World Heritage Project in Greenpeace.
The issue of the Western Caucasus Property was the center of discussion at the session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held last week in New Zealand. To evaluate the threat to the property, the Committee resolved to send a mission to Sochi. If experts from UNESCO and the World Conservation Union consider the threat real, the Western Caucasus will be inscribed in the World Heritage In Danger list.
This will be proof of two indisputable facts: first, Russia does not observe its international commitments to protect world heritage properties, and second, the International Olympic Committee encourages such behaviour.
This situation raised concern among members of the Olympic Committee. Yesterday, at the official presentation of the Sochi application, IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco asked about the environmental aspect of preparation for the Olympics. The question was left without an answer.
Notes to Editor
According to the Olympic Charter, the IOC commits to actively support the Olympic movement in its desire to protect the environment and to take measures to ensure implementation of this principle.
The relatively mild decision of the World Heritage Committee about the Western Caucasus can be explained by the fact that members of the Committee did not want to influence the IOC. However, this will not be valid any more at the next session, which is going to consider the findings of the mission.
Massive construction works are planned in the territories of Sochi National Park and the buffer zone of the Caucasus biosphere reserve, which is a part of the World Natural Heritage Property «Western Caucasus». The construction project includes a coordinated hydroelectric system on the Mzymta River, a high speed railway, mountain Olympic village and bobsleigh route with relevant infrastructure, as well as nine upscale sports centers not related to the Olympics (such as a golf club and a spa center).
Construction operations will inevitably cause the destruction of the habitats and migration routes of rare fauna species inhabiting this area and included in the international and Russian Red Data Book.
Such construction plans in unique nature areas contradict not only the core principles of Russian environmental legislation, they also violate the provisions of the International Convention Concerning the Protection of World Natural and Cultural Heritage.
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+7 495 626 5045, Mikhail Kreindlin, Andrei Petrov, Evgenia Belyakova
