Construction in the mountains, deforestation, drying up of rivers, off-roading, increased tourist load, and the development of new infrastructure – the problems of the Carpathians are increasingly becoming the subject of public discussion. At the same time, today the Carpathians are also considered a territory for large-scale economic and energy development.
Recently, during the "Carpathian Eight" summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that energy could become one of the main contributions of the Carpathians to Europe. This includes, in particular, the development of solar and wind energy, as well as the creation of a Carpathian wind energy cluster with a capacity of 1.5 GW.
So, the region faces a broader question: how to develop the Carpathians, attract investment, and create new opportunities for local communities, without increasing pressure on mountain ecosystems? What projects and infrastructure are acceptable, what rules should apply to investors, and where is the line beyond which development begins to harm nature?
It is precisely about this that the media hub "Your City" is organizing a public discussion – about rules, mechanisms, and solutions that will help preserve the Ukrainian Carpathians while ensuring the sustainable development of the region.
Representatives of the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zakarpattia Regional Military Administrations, ecologists, and business representatives will join the discussion.
List of speakers:
- Oleh Bondarenko, People's Deputy, Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management;
- Martyn Duplantier, French architect and urban planner;
- Andriy Senyuk, Head of the Natural Resources Protection Department of the Lviv Regional Military Administration's Ecology Department;
- Yuriy Shpontak, Director of the Ecology and Natural Resources Department of the Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration;
- Representative of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration's Ecology and Natural Resources Department (speaker to be confirmed);
- Rostyslav Mikhalchuk, Development Director of GORO Mountain Resort;
- Andriy Tupikov, ecologist and leading expert of UNCG, Candidate of Biological Sciences;
- Anatoliy Pavelko, ecologist at MBO "Ecology-Law-Human".
During the discussion, we will talk, among other things, about:
– what should be the model for the development of the Carpathians in the next 5–10 years;
– how to combine tourism, infrastructure, and the preservation of natural areas;
– what are the biggest threats to the Carpathians today – from development and deforestation to drying rivers and excessive tourist load;
– are restrictions needed for the most popular and vulnerable natural areas and how to regulate jeep tours;
– what requirements should be mandatory for large tourism projects;
– are current government authorities' powers sufficient to influence development and protection of natural areas;
– where is the "red line" for the development of the Carpathians and what cannot be done even for the sake of investment and tourism;
– what specific solutions can be implemented in the coming years.
When: Wednesday, September 23
Time: 14:00
Where to watch: YouTube and Facebook "Your City"
"Your City's" extended report on the consequences for the Carpathian ecosystem of building wind power plants watch here.
The discussion was prepared with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the editorial team of "Your City" and in no way can be considered as reflecting the position of the European Union.
