We demand the withdrawal of draft law #157501 and the preservation of Losiny Ostrov National Park.

The destruction of Losiny Ostrov National Park — a protected wildlife sanctuary within Moscow, the capital of our country — is gaining momentum. Let me remind you that officials previously initiated a draft law to build a road directly through the reserve, and before that had systematically downgraded the park’s protection status.

We tried to influence the draft law, but its authors began manipulating the vote count, boosting more than 26 000 votes allegedly “in favor” of destroying the national park. Thousands of people — residents of Moscow and the Moscow Region, as well as other parts of Russia — saw and documented these manipulations. In the final hours of public discussion the authors even added more than 14 000 signatures at once.

The draft law must be withdrawn solely on the basis of these manipulations! Yet everyone acts as if nothing is happening, ignoring the brazen lobbying to destroy protected land — ancient forest!

I am now receiving a huge number of letters from our readers. The entire conservation community is also trying to have the draft law withdrawn! Our allies from “The Earth Concerns Everyone” are working especially hard — and we thank them for standing up for wildlife to the very end.

Quoting some letters:

“Dear Pavel Alekseyevich! Road construction has begun! From both ends at once — from Kaliningradskaya Street in Korolyov and on Vodoprovodnaya Alley in Mytishchi. Heavy machinery is operating without documents. Local residents call the police every day; work is suspended, but only briefly. Activists are being intimidated. Centuries-old pines have been felled, the stumps smeared with dirt and covered with grass. Yesterday we managed to get the district officer to draw up a report. All the trees are being cut down on Vodoprovodnaya Alley. Both sites are within the protected zone of LO. LO inspectors are inactive. In addition, Vodoprovodnaya is a water-protection zone.”

“Pavel, good afternoon! The tragedy with Losiny Ostrov is getting worse and worse every day… Please help spread the information so that all concerned citizens can send complaints asking to annul the voting results and reject the scandalous Ministry of Natural Resources project 157501, which will lead to the destruction of Losiny Ostrov.”

There are many other letters as well! People demand that this madness be stopped.

We have already sent requests on our own behalf to every agency about these manipulations. We are trying to influence the situation through every available contact in the authorities.

The team from “The Earth Concerns Everyone” is also actively fighting and is now organizing mass submissions of demands to the relevant agencies. Let us support them and try to have an impact; I believe that a strong public outcry can work now, but only if we all act together.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

In your own words, write a demand to withdraw the draft law from consideration. It is important that all requests are not identical! Write in your own words. Below is brief information — a sample appeal.

I request the withdrawal of draft law №157501 concerning the construction of a road through Losiny Ostrov National Park.

The basis for this request is the documented abnormal activity on the public-initiatives platform promoting this draft law. In the final hours — mainly at night — there was massive, artificial boosting of “support” votes. This raises well-founded doubts about the authenticity of the alleged public approval and calls into question the legitimacy of the initiative’s consideration.

In addition, the project would cause serious and irreversible damage to the park’s ecosystem: thousands of trees would be felled, wildlife migration routes destroyed, and the protected area effectively split into fragments. These actions violate environmental norms and undermine the principles of nature conservation established in current legislation.

Under conditions of possible manipulation of public opinion and the absence of open expert discussion, I request:

1. Suspension of draft law №157501;

2. Verification of the authenticity of the voting on the platform;

3. A transparent environmental review with the participation of independent specialists.

A project affecting a federally protected area requires not only legal but also moral responsibility to society and future generations.

Then copy your text (written in your own words, following the template) and send it to the following contacts.

To the Government of the Russian Federation

Send request

To the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation

Send request

To State Duma deputy V. A. Fetisov, State Duma deputy S. P. Obukhov, and Chair of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection D. N. Kobylykin (select their contacts in turn via the link below)

Send request

To the Public Chamber Commission on Ecology and Sustainable Development under the President of the Russian Federation 

Send request

And also to the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation via e-mail

Additionally, click the social-network buttons at the bottom of this page to spread the text everywhere! Invite your friends, acquaintances, and relatives to help. Explain why it is important right now to raise the issue and stop the destruction of Losiny Ostrov National Park.

For our part we will also take a series of active steps to influence the problem. But the real key role is played by public resonance — the huge number of people who unanimously stand up for Life.

Act!

© PAVEL PASHKOV