In Stavropol, in the building of the recently opened museum and exhibition complex “My Country. My History”, public hearings were held on the creation of a “Green Shield” around the regional center and other cities of the region, organized by the Public Chamber of Stavropol.

The law on the “green shield”, one of the authors of which was the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, co-chairman of the Central Headquarters of the All-Russian popular front Olga Timofeeva, came into force on January 1 of this year. The idea of ​​its creation arose in connection with the almost uncontrolled cutting down of trees in many regions of our country.

“Today, many forest areas are not registered in the cadastral register, are not taken into account in any way and, accordingly, are not protected, because they do not have legal status, - said Olga Timofeeva. - It is clear that these are tidbits for business, for development, both residential and commercial. It’s very important to preserve them, otherwise soon we simply won’t be able to breathe.”

The authors of the new law were based on the practice of the Soviet era, when a 70-kilometer green belt was created around Moscow, on the territory of which logging and development were prohibited. During the discussion of the new bill, more than one hundred thousand signatures were collected in support of it within just one month; people not only agree with the creation of “green shields,” they literally demand it, noted the State Duma vice speaker.

The new law, as in Soviet time, completely prohibits the felling of forests included within the boundaries of the “green shield” and construction on its territory. There is only one exception - construction for social purposes, for example, a hospital or sports complex, but subject to full compensation.

Olga Timofeeva said that in many regions of the country the law encounters serious resistance from businesses interested in new construction sites. Entrepreneurs do not want to give up their plans for areas that are planted with trees, especially if they are privately owned.

“Green shields” have already been created in four regions: Voronezh, Smolensk, Kirov and Yaroslavl region. In about 50 more regions, including the Stavropol Territory, the process is at the discussion stage. The proposals of the All-Russian Popular Front were transferred to the Public Chamber of the region for public hearings.

“One of the reasons for the deterioration of the environment today is the anthropogenic factor,” noted Nikolai Kashurin, chairman of the Public Chamber of Stavropol. - The population is growing, industry is growing, and the amount of green space is only decreasing, and as a result, the ecosystem is losing its ability to regenerate itself. The “green belt” around cities determines a special regime for environmental management. After public hearings, the Public Chamber will transfer all materials to the Stavropol Regional Duma, which will make a decision on determining the boundaries of this belt.”

Nikolai Kashurin noted that after the decision is made, it will be possible to make changes - but only in the direction of increasing the number of protected areas. Today it is assumed that about four thousand hectares of green areas, urban forests and parks can be included in the “green shield” of Stavropol.

Concerned Stavropol residents, representatives public organizations, experts in the field of ecology and environmental management, employees of the environmental prosecutor's office, deputies of the regional and city Dumas. Thus, the Chairman of the City Duma Georgy Kolyagin noted that deputies fully support everything related to the protection of green spaces. At the same time, in the regional center there are 108 square meters“green” is four times more than the norm. Currently in Stavropol, even if a decision is made to cut down a certain area, compensatory tree plantings occur in a ratio of not one to one, but one to four to five, that is, instead of one felled tree, 4-5 new ones are planted.

“I would like to note: as a result of the adoption of the new law, it should not turn out that urban forests have new owners,” said Georgy Kolyagin.

In fact, today in the regional center literally every tree and every public garden has been counted and registered. The territories of reserves also have their own special status, for example, Cherry Glade, Priozerny Reserve, Russian Forest. This is precisely what raised concerns among inter-district environmental prosecutor Sergei Belevtsev: these territories are already protected by law, and their status is much stricter than that of the “green shield”; no construction is allowed there, even for social purposes. The inclusion of territories in the “green shield” will inevitably lead to confusion in status. Sergei Belevtsev proposed to include in the “shield” only forest areas around the city, and not within its borders, more precisely, those forests that today have not yet been registered and are not protected by law.

A representative of the Ministry of Security also spoke about the complexity of working at the intersection of two laws environment Tatyana Omelina: While supporting the initiative as a whole, the ministry fears that the strict status of the reserves will be softened as a result of their inclusion in the “green shield”.

The chairman of the Public Chamber of the region, Nikolai Kashurin, responded to both objections: “The law on the “green shield” assumes that if a territory with a more strict status is included within its boundaries, this status will be retained for it. Thus, there will be no confusion and no easing of the environmental management regime.”

In general, those present fully supported the “green shield” law. Thus, the director of the Stavropol Botanical Garden, Vladimir Kozhevnikov, focused on forest belts, which were once planted for protection from winds and dust storms. Today, these territories have turned into self-regulating and full-fledged forest strips capable of self-reproduction, which, unfortunately, also require protection, since most of them do not have any legal status.

Vice-chairman regional office of the Green Party, Vasily Avdeev proposed that when adopting long-term plans for the development of territories, environmental assessment should be given priority.

The chairman of the Ecological Development Foundation, Yuri Nikulin, spoke about the important role of educating the younger generation: the foundation’s employees regularly hold events with children to plant trees and flowers, instilling in schoolchildren a love and respect for nature.

The gathered residents of the regional center proposed to include into the boundaries of the “green shield” several areas that were not previously declared, along the bed of the Tashla River, including the Tuapse bridge located there railway, as well as a plot located along the territory of the Vodnik dacha community.

Based on the results of the hearings, regional Duma deputy Viktor Nadein noted that a working group would be created, which would include not only deputies, but also social activists, experts in the field of ecology and environmental management. “As a result of today’s discussion, it is clear that changes and additions will be necessary. We can provide high level work on the project and, I think, at the end we will get a good law that can protect the “lungs” of Stavropol.”

And in the future, other cities will follow the regional center, primarily the Caucasus region Mineralnye Vody. It is this area, as a resort area, that needs special protection in order to preserve its special natural resources, which make it so attractive to tourists.

A round table was held in the State Duma - a meeting of the State Duma's WEC Committee on natural resources, environmental management and ecology for the project " Green shield". Its result was the adoption of a resolution by environmentalists who appealed to the Russian executive and legislative authorities.

The document states that " Federal Assembly RF, the Government of the Russian Federation is recommended to give state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation the authority to establish the boundaries of forest park “green belts.” In addition,

Both houses of parliament are also recommended to “finalize and adopt by the end of the spring session a bill providing for the creation of “green belts”, to determine an authorized control state body. Subjects of the Russian Federation, in turn, are recommended to “strengthen control over compliance with the requirements of land and forestry legislation, as well as promote environmental educating the population and increasing citizens' legal awareness regarding compliance with environmental legislation."

Previously The State Duma adopted in the first reading the ONF bill on the “Green Shield” - “On amendments to the Federal Law “On Environmental Protection” and to certain legislative acts Russian Federation regarding the creation of forest-park green belts." Let us recall that the law from the ONF, we quote, "will secure the possibility of creating protective forest-park green belts around municipalities and cities of federal significance."

The meeting participants also stated the need to determine the specifics of logging of forest plantations, including complete ban clear cuttings in the forest park "green belt". For example, they demanded “to establish a strict regime of selective logging in forests located in water protection zones, to prohibit selective logging in forests located in spawning protection zones and nut-harvesting zones.”

Environmentalists also demanded that local authorities be “equipped” with the authority to establish the boundaries of forest park “green belts”.

“The document is planned to be adopted before the end of the spring session. The bill was developed based on requests from citizens who regularly report violations in the field of forest protection. This includes the removal of lands from the Forest Fund, as happened in the urban settlement of Malakhovka, Lyubertsy district, the destruction of 140 hectares forests due to sand mining on the border of Balashikha and the Noginsk region, the destruction of relict forest in the village of Saburovo in the Krasnogorsk district forestry - such appeals are received regularly,” explained Vladimir Gutenev, coordinator of the ONF Center for Public Monitoring on Ecology and Forest Protection, deputy and author of the bill. .

“We need to be more attentive to such initiatives as the forest amnesty: probably, someone could be amnestied, but such an amnesty cannot apply to those who build landfills in the forests of the State Forest Fund,” he added.

“Currently, within the framework of the All-Russian Popular Front, work is underway on a number of bills that provide for the creation of forest infrastructure (...), photographic recording of reforestation and maintaining a register of bona fide forest users,” explained the ONF coordinator.

“Issues of reforestation in general may be a separate task that we will have to solve,” Gutenev added.

Let us note that the first version of the amendments approved by the State Duma provided for a ban on cutting down trees around large cities. ONF coordinator Gutenev added that for the second reading “it is proposed to introduce the concept of a forest-park green belt.” According to him, it “represents a zone in which economic activity is limited, unless a more stringent regime of its limitation or prohibition is established.” The deputy notes that “the forest park green belt may include both territories outside the city and within its boundaries.”

The media note that if the bill is adopted in three readings, “its provisions will come into force on September 1, 2016.”

Famous Perm social activist, organizer of the “Listen to the Nightingale” movement Nadezhda Bagley told us about the need for this initiative and why the valleys of small rivers in Perm should become the basis of the “green shield” of our city:

Green shield  -  from whom are we defending ourselves? We protect ourselves from ourselves. From all the pollution and harmfulness that we ourselves create in our city. The green shield is not a fortress wall made of trees that encloses the city and saves it from the forest inhabitants. The green shield is a vital system of green vessels and capillaries that removes dirt from the city and supplies it with oxygen and life.

IN last years Moscow and others Russian cities approached a dangerous border and the Green Shield is our perceived need. Today, the ONF initiative “Green Shield” has grown from a private Moscow problem into a federal Strategy.

In addition to the military term of the Popular Front “Green Shield”, others are also used: “ecological framework”, “green belt”, “landscape design”. Fundamental changes in urban planning policy are being prepared, which will be based on the principles of environmentally balanced development of territories.

According to experts, " effective tool for solutions environmental problems legislative strengthening and specification of the protective status of not only forests as part of the forest fund lands, but agrarian-forest landscapes and water bodies as integral natural complexes may become possible.”

For Perm exactly water bodies(our small rivers and their valleys) are of paramount importance. More Valentin Leonidovich Mindovsky spoke about them with warmth and love:

“Green strips [of valleys], connecting urban green areas with suburban forests, play the role of arteries through which clean, oxygen-rich air from suburban forests moves to the city center. The interconnection of urban and suburban greenery contributes to the formation of calm, constantly active air currents. On a hot day, cool, refreshing currents move into the city from the suburban forests, and in the evening and at night, the quickly cooling air of open urban areas is directed to the more thermally stable green space of the suburbs. It has been established that in settlements surrounded by significant forest areas, there are constant air currents similar to sea breezes... The purpose of the continuity of green spaces is that urban greenery begins at the threshold of our homes and continues continuously through boulevards, gardens, parks to wooded parks, forests and reservoirs of the suburbs.”

Not everything is smooth and smooth with our rivers now. But their legislative protection has already begun. At the beginning of 2018, small rivers finally... Now we need to continue this important work and include the valleys of small rivers in the green forest park belt of Perm in the form of continuous ribbon parks, starting in suburban forests and bringing freshness to every home.

Cartographic material was prepared several years ago by the Department of Ecology and scientists of Perm State National Research University for the creation of specially protected natural areas in river valleys.

Until January 30, 2018, the regional branch of the ONF is collecting proposals from citizens and public organizations for the inclusion of individual areas in the forest park green belt of the city of Perm by mail [email protected]. Every resident can contribute to the Green Shield of our city. The public movement for the protection of small rivers “Listen to the Nightingale” is sending a proposal to include river valleys in the Green Shield. Please support us. This is our health. This is our comfortable city.

By the beginning of this May, according to data Federal Center public monitoring of the ONF on environmental issues and forest protection, in 24 regions of Russia, the Legislative Assembly, at the request of the regional branches of the ONF, supported at public hearings in the Public Chambers, has already decided to create forest park protective belts around their largest cities. In another 24 regions, decisions on the creation of “green shields” have been approved by the Public Chambers and are being considered by regional parliaments.

The Irkutsk region is no longer on any of the lists. Although since September last year it has been among the regions where the practical creation of “green shields” has not yet begun, the initiative has already been officially supported at public hearings. The final decision on the creation (or refusal to create) a forest park belt around Irkutsk, in accordance with the legally established deadlines for considering the initiative, was to be made by the Legislative Assembly of the region on April 18-19 of this year at its session. But literally a day before the opening of the session, the chairman of the Public Chamber of the Irkutsk Region, citing a written appeal to the Chamber of the regional government, recalled from the Legislative Assembly the protocol of public hearings sent there six months ago. “To clarify the area of ​​the created forest park green belt,” he explained his own unprecedented decision. The single withdrawal of the protocol of public hearings, in which the chairman of the chamber did not even participate, caused ONF activists doubts about its legality, which became the reason for contacting the prosecutor's office. But, be that as it may, there was nothing left for the deputies to consider at the session. Three lines of unsightly clerical text, written by an official in an official letter at the request of the regional executive power, set back the creation of an instrument for protecting suburban lands from theft for an indefinitely long time.

And the preparation of the issue for hearings at the Legislative Assembly session began quite routinely. A couple of weeks before the session, Kuzma Aldarov, chairman of the committee on legislation on environmental management, ecology and agriculture ZS, convened a working meeting to listen to the points of view of all interested parties, resolve possible contradictions, and harmonize interests different groups and departments. In order to, based on what was said, heard and agreed upon, prepare a high-quality draft resolution of the session that does not cause controversy or misinterpretation.

Sergei Apanovich, coordinator of the ONF regional public monitoring group on environmental issues and forest protection, reminded the audience that the law on “green shields”, which prevents the squandering of natural suburban areas, has been in effect in Russia for almost a year and a half and is being actively implemented by many federal subjects. There are fewer forests around Irkutsk, according to Sergei Apanovich, every year, and the prompt creation of a “green shield” will help us preserve at least what remains. And in some places, it may be possible to restore already disturbed natural areas.

“In forested green belts, economic activity is limited, but not excluded,” Apanovich noted. – Here you can build hydraulic structures, communication lines, power lines, pipelines, roads, railways. The list of those permitted by law includes healthcare, educational, recreational, tourist facilities, sports grounds and stadiums. The law also establishes a list of land plots that cannot be included in the green belt precisely because they cannot be limited economic activity. First of all, these are lands that are already legally owned by someone, privately, corporately, or otherwise. These are the most contaminated areas. This land with legally constructed capital construction projects, as well as officially reserved for government needs or for subsoil use.

The inclusion of lands in forest park green belts, according to Apanovich, will in no case entail the termination of the rights of land owners and legal land users. The creation of a “green shield” will not infringe on anyone’s economic interests, but will create additional guarantees for preserving the quality of people’s living environment and will help achieve main goal adopted law. In addition to forests, the protective zone can and should include those closest to the city and intra-city protected areas - specially protected natural areas with their own modes. And also landscapes, water bodies, any corners of nature that have not yet been built up, not sold to anyone, and not appropriated by anyone. Those to which all citizens and guests of Irkutsk will have unhindered access.

According to the plan, the forest park green belt of the regional center should have a total area of ​​320 thousand hectares and cover the city with an approximately 30-kilometer strip. It won't be continuous. Then it will be impossible to build new capital buildings in the forest park green belt, and everything that has already been legally built in this zone will remain outside the boundaries of the “green shield”, which the government of the Irkutsk region has yet to determine. If the Legislative Assembly makes a corresponding decision.

I note that initially an initiative group of ONF activists, having examined the surroundings of Irkutsk from a bird's eye view, proposed creating a forest park belt 50 kilometers wide. But in the process of preparing the petition, after consultations with specialists from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Forestry and other executive authorities of the region, the initiators agreed with the arguments of the professionals and “shrinked” the average width of the zone of restricted economic activity to 30 kilometers.

“Science is ready to help in reforestation,” said Viktor Voronin, director of the Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (SIFIBR) SB RAS, “in the creation of plantations for the accelerated cultivation of trees. It is necessary to quickly organize a protective belt for Irkutsk and test the experience so that it can later be extended to other municipalities.

Finally, Kuzma Aldarov asked Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Kondrashov to talk about the position of the executive branch.

“Here I heard that the cutting down of suburban forests is not always legal,” said the deputy chairman of the government. – And I immediately have a counter question. We will now accept the boundaries of the green belt. We will impose certain restrictions on the use of land, the main one of which is a ban on the development of populated areas. Or a ban on the development of housing construction areas. There are no other prohibitions in the law. Do you understand me?

I understand. Viktor Ivanovich is no exception. Many officials are convinced that “development” is when something natural, even very useful, but not bringing financial profit, is destroyed, and in its place something artificial is created that brings in “real” money. Cutting down a forest to sell wood or make way for a supermarket is development. But making efforts to keep the forest alive, creating a favorable environment for city residents, including in the form of a forest park, is a “ban on development.” And I also realized that the very idea of ​​​​forming a “green shield” capable of at least partially taming and slowing down the scope of independent construction “where I want” regional authorities I didn't like it a little. The law does impose some restrictions on economic activity in the territories included in the protective zone, only to the development of settlements and housing construction areas, if, of course, they are legally included in the general plans and not brazenly seized construction companies, this has nothing to do with it.

“We are slowing down agglomeration,” continued Viktor Kondrashov, clearly emphasizing the word “slowing down” with his intonation. – I am interested in the issue of retroactive force. If this is adopted by a resolution of the Legislative Assembly, is it then possible, if necessary, to withdraw some of these zones back from the regime? In accordance with Law 131, the municipality must decide for itself how to develop. If a talented head of the municipality appears and develops a business, he will economically support the entire region. Could this be? Maybe. We limit it from the Legislative Assembly. This cannot be done.

To be honest, I personally don’t really believe in such a highly talented head of the municipality who will “economically support the entire region.” Probably because I've never met one like this before. But in others, those who, having barely assumed the post of head of a municipality, begin hastily (in case they are not elected for a second term) to cut down the nearest forests and “grayly” or even “blackly” selling expensive suburban lands for the development of their cottages , it’s easier to believe, because there are many such cases throughout Mother Rus', including our region. It is precisely them that this law, aimed precisely at the development of territories, will try to limit. On ecological development, and not for the construction of country motels and supermarkets.

“There is another question - an unseemly one,” Kondrashov partly agrees with my thoughts. – There have been precedents when, to please some business structures, a decision is pushed through the Duma, the general planning is changed, and the green area goes under development. Examples of this are the Khomutovskoye municipal formation and the Markovskoye municipality. Everyone sees that groves that could have been preserved are being cut down in the Plishkin forests. It was possible to preserve all these pine trees and, if necessary, locate residential areas nearby. There are enough fields there.

“If we don’t make a decision now to create a “green shield,” such construction will continue,” supported Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Apanovich. – New territories will be captured. The forest area will be destroyed. The forested green belt will create additional restrictions on illegal construction. You correctly said that we need to look forward and take these needs into account in master plans for the development of human settlements. Creating forested green belts around large cities is not a fad. Today this is the call of the times.

It was not by chance that Sergei Apanovich mentioned “a tribute to fashion”. From the general context of the statements and questions of the deputy chairman of the government, it also seemed to me that Viktor Kondrashov is not exactly categorically against the creation of a forest park protective belt around Irkutsk. He simply doesn't consider this work a priority. And he also thinks the declared area of ​​the forest park belt is extremely overestimated - 320 thousand hectares.

“If we now create this area of ​​forest park green belt, I want everyone to understand that then, according to the law, we will not be able to change it downwards,” Mikhail Basov, head of the legal department of the Legislative Assembly, warned the meeting participants.

“Reduce it by three times,” Viktor Kondrashov suggested to the initiators of the creation of the “green shield.” – Let there be 100 thousand hectares. And then we’ll look at the territories and start adding to them.

This “later” very often means “never.” And if it comes from the mouth of an official, then all the more so it is nothing more than a polite form of refusal. Experienced people understand this.

After some time, having not received support for his proposal to reduce the area of ​​the “green shield” threefold, the deputy chairman raised the ante. He began to talk about a possible 150 thousand hectares. People call this kind of thing bargaining, but politicians prefer to call such concessions to opponents more beautiful and, most importantly, more solid - a search for a compromise. I was extremely surprised that Viktor Ivanovich started this bargaining at all. No, if he had heard about the area of ​​the forest park belt of 320 thousand hectares for the first time, then it would have been understandable. But the fact of the matter is that a long time ago, back in September last year, it was he who represented the government of the Irkutsk region at those very hearings in the Public Chamber of the Irkutsk region, the protocol of which gave rise to the initiative of the regional branch of the ONF. And then, let me remind you, we were talking about the width of the protective belt not 30, as now, but 50 kilometers. Moreover, in November of the same last year, responding to a specific request from Alexei Anisimov, head of the federal executive committee of the ONF, about the situation with the formation of a “green shield” around Irkutsk, not just anyone, but again it was Kondrashov who reported in writing to Moscow:

“On September 21, 2017, at the Public Chamber of the Irkutsk Region, public hearings were held on the creation of a forest park green belt in the city of Irkutsk, as a result of which a decision was made to send proposals for the creation of a forest park belt around the city of Irkutsk, including urban forests of the city of Irkutsk, to the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region.

Due to the fact that the creation of forest park belts is aimed at improving environmental situation“The Government of the Irkutsk Region supports the initiative to create a forest park belt around the city of Irkutsk.”

Signature: “Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Irkutsk Region V.I. Kondrashov."

“You yourself wrote to Anisimov about supporting our petition,” Sergei Apanovich looked at the deputy chairman of the government, as it seemed to me, not even with surprise, but with amazement. – And you didn’t indicate a single point in the letter in which you would disagree with us on the creation of a green belt.

“I said that we are moving in a federal trend,” Kondrashov answered not very specifically. – It would be stupid for the executive branch to say: “No.” Especially from the ONF organ.

Even without fully understanding the meaning of the explanation of the deputy chairman of the regional government about the “federal trend” and the “organ of the ONF,” I began to understand where Kondrashov was going. God forbid we make a mistake, but it seems very likely that the government’s position presented is nothing more than an attempt by the executive branch to Once again Instead of a real solution to the problem, create the appearance of vigorous work to solve it. To do this, you first need to talk about the problem, drown it in words, and then do a little something. Not in order to bring a solution closer, but to create an opportunity to report to the “top.” The regional government is doing this well. Not only ours. In many federal subjects.

“We have not received a single real argument from the regional Public Chambers and Legislative Assemblies that the creation of a “green shield” is inappropriate,” the official website of the movement onf.ru quotes the coordinator of the federal Center for Public Monitoring of the ONF on environmental issues and forest protection, Dmitry Mironov. – Only lobbyists who oppose our environmental initiative are trying in every possible way to delay this process.

Looking ahead, I will say that the Irkutsk team succeeded. The long work meeting ended in nothing. A week later, Kuzma Aldarov planned to hold a meeting of the committee he headed to formulate a draft resolution for the Legislative Assembly session on this issue, but was forced to convene a second working meeting. It, alas, also went in vain. And before the session, which would certainly support the public initiative and oblige the government of the Irkutsk region to create a “green shield” around Irkutsk, there were only a few days left, two of which were weekends. The only answer that was obtained with the help of lawyers at the second working meeting was categorically not satisfactory to Viktor Kondrashov. It turned out that it was impossible to postpone the issue to the autumn session, as the Deputy Chairman of the Government wanted, “to prepare, decide on the price of the issue and the area”, without violating the deadlines established by law for consideration of a documented public initiative, unless the initiators themselves abandon their own initiatives and will not officially withdraw their documents, which were in the Legislative Assembly and the regional government for six months.

Sergei Apanovich was in vain amazed at how the deputy chairman of the government explained his own alleged support for the “green shield” in a letter to the chairman of the ONF executive committee as a “federal trend.” Real amazement washed over him less than a day before the start of the 61st session.

Opening the meeting of the relevant committee, Kuzma Aldarov, following the tradition that had developed at work meetings, first said the obligatory words that “objectively, everyone is in favor of creating a forest park zone in the city of Irkutsk.” And then he spoke about the letters that suddenly arrived in the name of the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly, Sergei Brilka, in which the mayor of the Shelekhovsky district, Maxim Modin, and the mayor of the Usolsky district, Vitaly Matyukha, who supported the idea of ​​​​creating a “green shield” at work meetings, urgently changed their point of view and now consider the implementation of this initiative, partially affecting the territories of these areas is inappropriate. From a legal point of view, as one of the lawyers present said, when considering the issue at the session, this could have an emotional impact on some of the deputies, but not on the general course of events. Another thing is the third letter, just as suddenly received from the chairman of the Public Chamber, with which he recalled from the Legislative Assembly last year’s protocol of public hearings on the issue of creating a forest-park green belt (“green shield”) around Irkutsk. No document - no problem. At the session, to the satisfaction of members of the regional government, there was nothing to consider. The problem will go away at least until the fall. And by that time, there will be less expensive suburban land that has not yet been sold, not stolen, not turned into someone’s private or corporate property and undeveloped land around Irkutsk.

Popular Front experts summed up the results of the implementation of the Green Shield environmental initiative for 2017. In 16 regions, decisions have already been made to create forest park belts around regional centers.

The ONF noted that petitions for the creation of forest-park green belts were sent to all 85 regional public chambers. “In 2017, the Year of Ecology, the federal law on the “green shield” came into force on January 1, which was developed by experts from the All-Russian Popular Front, adopted by both houses of parliament and signed by the president. More than 100 thousand people voted for the initiative to create forested green belts around cities on the website of the Russian Public Initiative. It is also worth noting that this year we managed to finalize the adopted federal law on the “green shield”, including water bodies, water protection zones, natural landscapes and other environmentally effective areas in the forest park green belts,” noted the coordinator of the ONF Center for Public Monitoring on the problems ecology and forest protection, State Duma deputy Nikolai Buduev.

To date, in 16 regions, legislative assemblies of constituent entities have decided to create “green shields” around regional centers. “These are Voronezh, Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Orenburg, Oryol, Sverdlovsk, Ryazan, Kemerovo, Smolensk, Kirov, Tyumen and Yaroslavl regions, the Republics of Adygea and Bashkortostan, as well as Krasnodar and Stavropol region. For example, in Kirov the size of the created “green shield” was about 175 thousand hectares, 68 thousand hectares in Tyumen and Ryazan regions, 50 thousand hectares - in the Ivanovo region. In addition, we will strive to significantly increase the territory of already created “green shields” in a number of regions,” Buduev noted.

According to him, in another 21 regions the issue of creating a forest-park green belt is under consideration in the legislative bodies of the constituent entities. In other regions, the petition for the creation of a forest-park green belt is still under consideration in the Public Chambers.

“However, in some regions, local authorities consider the creation of forest-park green belts inappropriate, as, for example, in the Kamchatka Territory and the Komi Republic. In the Kurgan and Tomsk regions, the petition to create a forest park green belt was approved by public chambers, but was rejected by legislative assemblies. Next year we will continue the fight for the environment and will ensure that “green shields” appear in all 85 regions,” Buduev concluded.

The topic of creating “green shields” was also one of the main ones at the “Action Forum” of the ONF “RUSSIA FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE,” which was held recently in Moscow. According to the coordinator of the ONF Center for Public Monitoring on environmental issues and forest protection, State Duma deputy Vladimir Gutenev, “green shields” are a great contribution to the future, which will help preserve the ecology of Russian cities.