Volgograd deputies approve draft law on protected natural areas

Deputies of the regional duma have approved a draft federal law concerning changes to the boundaries of specially protected natural areas in Russia, including in the Volgograd region. If the law is adopted by the State Duma, land plots from these protected areas may be seized in the interests of state security and defense or for infrastructure projects of federal and regional significance. It is also proposed to introduce a special targeted fee, the proceeds of which will be directed to the development of natural areas.

As reported by the press service of the Volgograd Regional Duma, the bill establishes a list of grounds and a multi-stage procedure for clarifying boundaries and excluding plots from the lands of specially protected natural areas.

«Correction of boundaries or exclusion of plots from specially protected natural areas is permitted only under special circumstances, such as state security and defense requirements, implementation of infrastructure projects of federal or regional significance if other placement options are technically impossible, and the actual loss of a plot»s natural value due to irreversible consequences of a natural disaster,« the duma»s press service reported. «It is also proposed to introduce a special targeted fee, the proceeds of which will be directed to the development of natural areas.»

The final decision on changing the boundaries of specially protected natural areas of regional and local significance will be made by the legislative assembly of the specific region — in the Volgograd region, this is the regional duma, and a special commission will be formed for a comprehensive assessment of the consequences of boundary changes.

The day before, the bill was preliminarily discussed at the Committee of the Volgograd Regional Duma on Ecology, Natural Resource Management, and Environmental Protection.

«This is a strategically important state initiative aimed primarily at protecting nature, and therefore the health of citizens. The task of preserving the unique natural potential of our country is at the core of the national project »Environmental Well-being«,» noted the committee chairperson, head of the environmental council at the Volgograd Regional Duma, Irina Solovyova. «The draft law establishes a balance between the need for socio-economic development of regions and the strict protection of unique natural areas, excluding their arbitrary reduction or abolition.»

According to Irina Solovyova, the proposed changes will ensure a unified strict approach to the procedures for changing the boundaries of specially protected natural areas in certain exceptional cases. At the same time, the draft law does not allow for dual interpretation and will contribute to the preservation of specially protected natural areas regardless of the status of ownership of their lands, even if they are in long-term use.

If the document is adopted by the State Duma, it will come into force on March 1, 2027.

In the Volgograd region, there are 60 specially protected natural areas of various categories with an area of about one million hectares. 5 of them are of federal significance: Dzhanybekovsky station, Tersinskaya forest belt, Shemyakinskaya forest dacha, Kozlovskaya forest dacha, and the dendrarium of VNIALMI. 53 are of regional significance. The territories of regional significance include seven natural parks: Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, Donskoy, Nizhnekhopersky, Ust-Medveditsky, Tsimlyansky sands, Shcherbakovsky, and Eltonsky.