Greenpeace criticizes plans to build "Dolina Vasta" resort in Sochi

The construction of the new "Dolina Vasta" (Vasta Valley) ski resort in Sochi is illegal, the Russian branch of the environmental Greenpeace has stated. The construction of a new ski resort on the lands of the Sochi National Park will lead to the destruction of natural complexes, ecologists assert.

In early April it became known that the state development corporation VEB.RF, the "Interros" and the "Vasta Discovery" signed an agreement on cooperation in implementing a project of an all-season mountain resort "Dolina Vasta" in Sochi.

In the opinion of ecologists, the Federal Law No. 321, adopted in 2018, prohibits the construction of capital sports facilities in the territories of national parks.

Mikhail Kreindlin, the head of the Greenpeace programme for specially protected natural areas, has recalled that earlier several MPs of the Federation Council and State Duma had introduced a bill that, in the first edition, allowed cutting out any territories from national parks. "More than 110,000 Russian citizens, the Human Rights Council, the Public Chamber and even the Duma's specialized committee have opposed the bill. As a result, the provisions on the seizure of lands from national parks were excluded from the bill. We hope that subsequent attempts will suffer the same fate," Mikhail Kreindlin has stated.

The Russian Greenpeace branch is monitoring the development of the situation in the Sochi National Park and intends to prevent the destruction of the last preserved natural territories of Western Caucasus, says the statement posted on April 12 on the official website of the Russian branch of the international non-commercial organization Greenpeace.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 13, 2021 at 06:44 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.