International Coalition Clean Baltic Appeal Russian President Protect The Natural And Cultural Values Of The Baltic Sea Region

Baltic News № 88

OPEN LETTER

Dear Mr. President of Russian Federation!

We, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of the Baltic Sea Region, members of the international "Coalition Clean Baltic" (CCB), appeal to you to guarantee in accordance with the Russian legislation the real possibility of public participation in the development of the General Plan Scheme of the "Harbor region "Gorki"" in the area of the Luga Bay" (Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Finland).

The territory situated very close to supposed location of industrial and transport objects in the frame of the Project, is famous for natural and cultural objects, which are of great importance not only in Russia but in Baltic Sea Region.

"Kurgalskiy peninsula wetland" protected by the international Ramsar Convention and "Koteskiy" nature reserves are among them. More then 200 species of birds and other animals from this area are listed in the Red Books. Luga Bay as well as rivers and brooks of its basin are the spawning sites for valuable fish species.

The Luga Bay coast is the ancient lngermanland Land where small nationalities Izhora and Vod' live. Their life style is very closely connected with off-shore fishing.

In present time the Project is under development without taking special and system attention to environmental aspects of this territory. The interests of local people and NGOs are violated. Local people and NGOs have not got an authentic information, and as result they can't participate in the decision making as it is allowed by "RF Environmental Expertise Act" and "Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations".

The complex environmental expertise directed to the assessment of integral impact of now existing and planned installations was not conducted. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is now conducted only for separate projects without taking into account the integral environmental impact from all "Complex".

Living here the small nations are on the verge of extinction because of loss their habitat values and traditional life style, and also due to plans to settle this territory with alien people, which numbers will be tens times more then aborigens.

Planned constructions along all the Luga Bay coast and planned construction of the substitute power units at the Leningrad NPP (west of Sosnovy Bor) will bring the threat to the environmental capacity of the south shore of the Gulf of Finland and raise risk of techno-catastrophes.

Getting immediate economical interests, some human groups and companies could destroy one more Unique Natural Complex.

These processes might provoke social intensity in this area.

Mr. President, taking into account that this Project is very important for Russia, and this area is of trans-boundary interest, we appeal to you:

• to guarantee the public participation of all interested communities (including the international community) and local people which this Project will influence on;
• to carry out the state EIA with participation both Russian experts and experts from countries of the Baltic Sea region

.

Such system approach would allow to estimate harmful impact of planned installations to environment, ethnic and social media of this area, and to realize the Project as socially acceptable.

Gunnar Noren CCB Executive secretary Sweden
Vera Ovcharenko CCB Board member Russia
Taavi Nuum CCB Board member Estonia
Maria Stanishevska CCB Board member Poland
Emma Vidmark CCB Board member Sweden
Valdur Lahtvee CCB Chairman Estonia
Anneli Ehlers CCB Board member Germany
Aja Caune CCB Board member Latvia

Note: The letter was faxed to Russian President Putin November 15, 2005 from the international secretariat of Coalition Clean Baltic in Uppsala, Sweden (Ostra Agatan 53 SE-753 22 Uppsala,Sweden. Phone:+46 18 71 11 55, Fax: +46 18 71 11 75; secretariat@ccb.se; www.ccb.se)