On “Adler-Red Glade” road ecologists addressed to UNEP  

The Ecological Watch across Northern Caucasus, the WWF of Russia, the Green Peace of Russia, the International Socially-ecological Union, the wild nature protection center and NABU-Caucasus had addressed to the secretary general of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Ahim Steiner. In the letter they stated concern about the problems, caused by construction of the biggest Olympic object of Sochi - the combined road “Adler-Red Glade”.

To that the highest-ranked of the international ecological organization "green" activists addressed, “having understood that inside Russia the problem of illegal destruction of the unique natural system in the valley of Mzymta river can not be solved”. “Ecological public organizations very much hope that … the UNEP would help to solve the problems which have already laid down like an indelible black stain on the Olympic games-2014 and now are threatening with further movement towards that these Games become a symbol of lawlessness and unprecedented ecological injure”, - it was spoken in their reference.

Public organizations informed Ahim Steiner that construction of that road had begun one year ago without obligatory sanctions and examinations, without any estimation of influence on environment and even without the project documentation - which is absolutely illegal. Now construction has reached the most valuable sites of the Sochi national park where the unique woods with the relic trees’ prevalence – Kolkhidian wood box grow, yew berry and some other trees.

Large-scale felling of the relic trees had already happened in June-August of this year, and thus, despite of numerous signals of the public, the state bodies did not undertake any actions to stop that activity. Now it became known that devastation of many hectares of yew-tree-box woods - unique as itself, and because in the near future is also expected though they are an inhabitancy for many protected kinds of animals.

Leaders of the "green" organizations asked Ahim Steiner “to address immediately to Organizing committee "Sochi-2014" and the Government of Russia with the demand to stop further construction of the combined (rail and automobile) road “Adler-Red Glade”. They also considered necessary to initiate a meeting in Sochi among the UNEP, the IOC, Organizing committee "Sochi-2014", the international experts on biodiversity and NGOs to find decisions in order to avoid the expected injure.

Copies of the reference were sent to the general director of the Wildlife International Union (WIU) Julia Marton-Lefevre, to the chairman of the IOC Coordination commission on carrying out of Olympic Games of 2014 in Sochi Jean-Claude Kili and to the president of the Organizing committee "Sochi-2014" Dmitry Chernyshenko.

NatPress