Legislative and practical aspects of the use of subsoil on forestlands, restoration of territories and improvement of the regulatory framework in the field of forestry management became the key topic of the meeting chaired by Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky.
In particular, the participants of the meeting considered the practice of approving subsoil plots for further auctioning and the need to improve legislation to ensure a balance between the economic use of subsoil and the preservation of forest ecosystems.
They also noted that the current legislation allowed for mining activities on forestry lands subject to the registration of appropriate rights of use, in particular easements. At the same time, the practice of applying these norms indicates the need for additional regulation of certain issues, primarily regarding the preservation of valuable forest areas that have not been damaged and are not intended for economic development.
“Our common task is to form such rules that will allow combining economic development with the preservation of forest resources. Approaches to subsoil use on forest fund lands must be clear, transparent and legally regulated. Open dialogue allows finding solutions that take into account both the needs of forestry and the requirements for environmental protection,” Taras Vysotsky noted.
The participants of the meeting also considered the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approval of the Rules for Final Cutting in the Forests of Ukraine”. Following the results of the preliminary public discussion, proposals were received for the draft from environmental organizations, international technical assistance projects and the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”. The main comments concerned the peculiarities of felling in the mountain forests of the Carpathians, as well as environmental restrictions during final cutting.
The event was attended by representatives of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine, specialized structural divisions of the Ministry of Economy, public environmental organizations, and the expert community. (Economy Ministry)