While We Stand United — Nature Will Live: Draft Laws №155702 and №156218 Successfully Stopped!

The Ministry of Natural Resources attempted to push through two draft laws aimed at eliminating key documents and regulations protecting Russia’s wildlife.

Draft №155702 — proposed the removal of a list of hazardous substances from the federal register that are currently banned from discharge into marine waters. This would have paved the way for the pollution of marine ecosystems with highly toxic compounds.

Draft №156218 — proposed the abolition of the oldest conservation documents, created by Soviet scientists to protect nature reserves. These documents form the foundation of Russia’s system of protected areas and biosphere reserves.

Both drafts appeared around the same time, with the Ministry of Natural Resources listed as the developer. In reality, I believe this is part of an ongoing campaign against the country’s protected area system. We are already witnessing the aggressive “development” of reserve lands, with sections of protected areas being carved out and built over for short-term profit. Destroying the last refuges of wildlife is becoming the new norm.

Both drafts (#155702 and #156218) would primarily strip wildlife of fundamental protection rules: key documents would simply be erased, and the list of banned toxic substances reduced.

I believe that had these drafts been adopted, what remains of our already fragmented wildlands — what we still call the “protected area system” — would have been rushed from all sides! Big business, officials — all would have started dividing the reserve rent of our country.

THERE ARE UPDATES!

We took a firm stand and demanded the rejection of these drafts. Alongside us, the entire environmental community of Russia — at least its key defenders — unanimously supported the resistance.

A few days ago, in some environmental circles, our fellow defenders of nature reported that Draft №156218 will not be adopted. In response to official inquiries after a wave of public outcry, the Ministry confirmed its withdrawal from further development of the project! Most likely, within a year or two, an attempt will be made to push it through again — rapidly, without giving society time to understand what’s happening and stand up for nature.

Just like it happened with the law on clear-cutting mountain forests of protective category! We all saw the scale of that madness.

I refrained from publishing information about the ministry’s refusal to proceed with Draft №156218 (on eliminating protected area documents), because the initiative has not been officially removed from the government portal. The same applies to Draft №155702 on the discharge of toxic substances into marine waters.

BUT IN FACT, BOTH DRAFT LAWS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY STOPPED

Thanks to your efforts, comrades! Thanks to those who spoke out and took action. Both projects are now effectively frozen and no longer carry legal force. But we must ensure they are also officially withdrawn from the state initiative portal — otherwise, officials may “change their minds,” and society, convinced the issue is resolved, may not notice the projects being rushed through.

So let’s demand that these projects be officially withdrawn and recorded as such! Right now, we are preparing a request to the Ministry of Natural Resources to terminate the drafts, and we are also submitting a control appeal to the Federal Portal of Normative Acts.

I thank each of you for your role in this fight for Life! Gradually, we are achieving change. At this stage, it is thanks to your efforts that two of the Ministry’s most dangerous projects have been effectively halted.

On my website, the public initiatives opposing these projects will remain active until the drafts are officially withdrawn. Let’s finish this victory together!

We will report on the submission of the official request and all further developments on social media. Let’s continue our fight for nature!

For further reading: 

• Learn more about Draft №156218
• Learn more about Draft №155702
• Public initiative against repealing conservation rules for protected areas (Draft №156218)
• Public initiative against weakening the ban on toxic discharges into marine waters (Draft №155702)

© PAVEL PASHKOV