Volgograd deputies support bill on protected natural areas

Deputies of the Volgograd Regional Duma have expressed support for a federal bill on adjusting the boundaries of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) in Russia, including the region. If the document is adopted by the State Duma, land plots within these protected areas could be seized for the needs of state security, defense, or the implementation of infrastructure projects of federal and regional significance. Simultaneously, it is proposed to establish a special targeted fee, the proceeds from which will be directed to the development of natural areas.

The press service of the regional duma explained that the bill establishes a clear list of grounds and a multi-stage procedure for clarifying boundaries or excluding plots from SPNAs. «Adjustment of boundaries or exclusion of plots from specially protected natural areas is permitted only under special circumstances, such as requirements of state security and defense, implementation of infrastructure projects of federal or regional significance provided that other placement options are technically impossible, as well as the actual loss of a plot»s natural value due to irreversible consequences of a natural disaster,« the duma»s press service said. «It is also proposed to introduce a special targeted fee, the funds from which will be directed to the development of natural areas.»

The final decision on changing the boundaries of SPNAs of regional and local significance will be made by the legislative assembly of the federal subject. In Volgograd Oblast, this issue will be handled by the regional duma. For a comprehensive assessment of the possible consequences of such changes, the creation of a special commission is planned.

The day before, the draft law was preliminarily reviewed at a meeting of the Committee on Ecology, Nature Management, and Environmental Protection of the Volgograd Regional Duma. «This is a strategically important state initiative aimed primarily at protecting nature, and hence, the health of citizens. The task of preserving the unique natural potential of our country lies at the foundation of the national project »Environmental Well-being«,» noted the committee chair, head of the environmental council under the Volgograd Regional Duma, Irina Solovyova. «The draft law enshrines 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 procedures for changing SPNA boundaries in exceptional cases. The document eliminates double interpretation and will contribute to the preservation of protected areas regardless of the status of their lands.

If approved by the State Duma, the law will come into force on March 1, 2027.

Currently, Volgograd Oblast has 60 specially protected natural areas with a total area of about one million hectares.

• 5 of them have federal status: Dzhanybekovsky station, Tersinskaya forest strip, Shemyakinskaya forest dacha, Kozlovskaya forest dacha, and the dendrarium of VNIALMI.
• 53 are of regional significance, including seven natural parks: Volgo-Akhtubinskaya floodplain, Donskoy, Nizhnekhopersky, Ust-Medveditsky, Tsimlyansky sands, Shcherbakovskiy, and Eltonsky.