Russia's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games has come
under scrutiny at the WHC session, because of the proposed event's
proximity to a world heritage site. The property in question is
Western Caucasus, in the southern part of the Russian Federation in
the Caucasus Mountains. Greenpeace Russia argues that venues and
infrastructure planned for the Games will destroy habitats and
migration routes of animals living within the site.
Russia wants to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the city
of Sochi, not far from Western Caucasus. Some of the Olympic
facilities and venues are to be built in the close proximity to the
site, but also in an area that covers the lands of the Sochi
National Park.Until recently, it was against the Russian law to
build anything at the site but the law was hastily changed before
the bid was lodged.
At the WHC session in Christchurch, Greenpeace Russia
distributed information proving that plans for the Olympics will
eventually undermine the outstanding universal value of "Western
Caucasus" and destroy the area's rich biodiversity.
Discussion of this site was initially cancelled due to pressure
from the Russian delegation. But thanks to the information provided
by Greenpeace, the WH Committee returned to the issue and
considered the state of conservation of Western Caucasus.
"The fact that Western Caucasus was returned for discussion
despite previous opposition from the state-party of Russia, clearly
demonstrates how burning the environmental issues of Winter Olympic
Games 2014 in Sochi really are," said Andrey Petrov, World Heritage
Project Coordinator for Greenpeace. "However, instead of addressing
those issues, Russian authorities have launched a costly
advertising campaign that distorts the real situation and aims to
hide the potential damage to the unique natural complexes of the
Western Caucasus".
Addressing the World Heritage committee, Greenpeace
representatives expressed the deep concern of the Russian and
international public regarding the future of "Western
Caucasus".
The Winter Olympics 2014 are serving as cover for allocating
high conservation value lands to construction of facilities that
like a SPA-resort or golf club have nothing in common with winter
competitions.
Besides it is clear already today that the construction will
start and continue even if the international Olympic Committee
decides to hold the 2014 Olympics in a place other than Sochi.
"Members of the World Heritage Committee are definitely
concerned about what's going on in relation to Western Caucasus.
However, the final decision of the Committee was not tough enough
on the Russian Federation because the Committee did not want to
influence the decision-making process of the International Olympic
Committee," said Roman Vazhenkov, Head of the High Conservation
Value Areas Department of Greenpeace.
"Nevertheless, World Heritage Centre and IUCN will be sending
their monitoring mission to Western Caucasus soon and this mission
will certainly uncover the actual intentions of the Russian side
and the impacts on the unique territory will become obvious".
Greenpeace, without being against the idea of Olympic Games of
2014 in Russia, will take part in the mission.
For more information and comments please contact +7 (495) 626-50-45: Mikhail Kreindlin, an expert of the High Conservation Value Areas Department of Greenpeace Russia or Zhenya Belyakova, Greenpeace Russia press-officer.
The International Olympic Committee will be taking a final decision regarding the Host of the 2014 Winter Olympics at its session in Guatemala on July 4. Sochi (Russia) takes a solid third place in this contest after PyeongChang (South Korea) and Salzburg (Austria).
In early June 26 Russian NGOs approached the World Heritage Centre and the International Olympic Committee with a request to pay due attention to the environmental drawbacks of the Sochi bid and make a decision that will ensure preservation of the World Heritage property and will not compromise the idea of the Olympic Movement by voting for Olympics that will cause irreversible damage to the intact nature of Western Caucasus.
The “Western Caucasus” has very high level of biodiversity. There are about 1000 plants growing in its high mountain zone, and number of all floras and fauna species here is more than 6000. Rare and endangered Caucasus bison, Caucasian goat and Red deer as well as bears and wolfs lives on this territory. The Western Caucasus is also famous of abandons of relic species remained here.