Greenpeace and WWF once again voiced to the IOC representatives
their joint position regarding environmental issues of the Olympic
Games in Sochi and emphasized that it is urgently necessary to
exclude most valuable natural areas of the Sochi National Park: the
buffer zone of the Caucasus State Nature and Biosphere Reserve that
is a part of the Western Caucasus World Heritage site, and the area
of the Grushevy Ridge from the plans of construction of Olympic
venues and facilities. At the meeting the two environmental
watchdogs
provided the IOC with maps and conclusions of Russia's leading
experts proving the enormous conservation value of the above areas,
as well as a list and maps of alternative sites where relocated
Olympic venues can be built.
From the very start of Sochi's road to being a host-city of
Winter Olympics, Russian environmental NGOs have opposed plans to
build Olympic venues in high conservation value areas, but their
dialogue with those taking decisions seemed to be failing. Only in
February 2007 at a meeting with Vice Premier Alexander Zhukov, the
sides worked out an agreement to start a state environmental impact
assessment (EIA) of the construction plans and to change these
after the IOC would have decided where the 2014 Olympic Games would
take place.
After Sochi won the Olympic host-city competition, all reasons
to leave Olympic venues in the buffer zone of the Caucasus Nature
Reserve and the Grushevy Ridge disappeared and on August 14, 2007,
the Coordination Council for implementation of the Federal Target
Program "Development of Sochi as a Mountain Climate Resort in
2006-2014 decided to consider in three weeks alternative locations
for the bobsleigh route, a facility that is most complicated for
relocation. If there is a viable alternative for the bobsleigh
route, relocation of accompanying facilities will create no
problems.
Following up on this decision, the Federal Service for
Environmental Supervision (Rosprirodnadzor) gave an order to
regional experts to evaluate the conservation value of the Grushevy
Ridge. When this was done, their evaluations confirmed the
conclusions of the state EIA that no land development should take
place in the area of the Grushevy Ridge. Experts from Greenpeace
and WWF in cooperation with the "Transparent World" non-commercial
partnership prepared descriptions of several alternative sites for
the bobsleigh route based on the IOC technical criteria and space
images of the territory.
"Unfortunately, some representatives of the Olympic movement
both in Russia and abroad keep on insisting that relocation of
Olympic venues is impossible. But they don't give any arguments in
support of that", said Igor Chestin, Director of WWF Russia. "This
is why we sent letters to the International Federations of
Bobsleigh and Tobogganing with a request to confirm the possibility
to build a bobsleigh route in the alternative locations suggested.
A similar request was one of the topics of our today's meeting with
the IOC".
"We do believe that international sports associations understand
that conservation of the unique nature of the Western Caucasus is a
serious matter, and will be able to promptly come up with the final
alternative location of the bobsleigh route. By this they will
demonstrate to the whole international community that, for example,
the International Olympic Committee not with their words but with
their actions ensure safety of highest conservation values areas on
our planet", said Mikhail Kreindlin, High Conservation Value Areas
Program Coordinator of Greenpeace Russia. "Under the Olympic Chart,
it is one of the primary functions of the IOC to make sure that
Olympic Games do not damage the environment".
For more information, please, contact:
- Mikhail Kreindlin, High Conservation Value Areas Program Coordinator, or Zhenya Belyakova, press secretary of Greenpeace Russia at +7
495 626 5045;
- Igor Chestin, Director of WWF Russia, at +7 495 727 0939
Additional information:
The uniqueness and vulnerability of the area where construction
of the bobsleigh route has been planned, was underlined by leading
Russian scientists and, in particular, experts of the state
Environmental Impact Assessment Commission that evaluated the
Federal Target Program "Development of Sochi as a Mountain Climate
Resort in 2006-2014". This EIA was carried out upon order of the
Russian Federation Government in April 2007.
The future of the World Heritage property "Western Caucasus" is
under constant scrutiny of international community. The state of
conservation of this property was discussed by the UNESCO World
Heritage Committee at its 31 session held in Christchurch, New
Zealand, on June 23 - July 2, 2007. The Committee ruled to send a
joint monitoring mission of World Heritage Center and IUCN experts
to the Western Caucasus. If these experts decide that preparations
for the Winter Olympics in Sochi pose a threat to the World
Heritage property "Western Caucasus", the World Heritage Committee
may decide to transfer this property into the List of World
Heritage in Danger already at its next 32 session in 2008. This
decision will mean that a gross violation of the International
Convention for protection of UNESCO World Natural and Cultural
Heritage has been committed. Indirectly the International Olympic
Committee will be also held responsible for this violation as a
respected international organization that has failed to take proper
steps to prevent any damage to a UNESCO World Heritage
property.