In the vicinity of Krivyi Rih, the unknown destroyed the monument of nature called “Outcrops of arkose sandstones.” The violations were revealed by local area studies experts who write for wikipedia. During the examination of this protected object, the experts detected that it was significantly damaged by illegal stone mining.
In particular, the cliff suffered partial destruction, cliff debris were extracted and removed, trees and shrubs at the bottom of the cliff have been damaged. Judging by trails of trucks and excavators, it becomes obvious that the extraction was performed with the help of heavy machinery. Similar signs of extraction were found on other sandstone outcrops in Shyrokivskyi district (near the village Rudnichne), indicating to the systematic nature of such illegal activities. Information about other illegal quarries was released by the experts at the link below.
Back in 1974, the monument was declared on 1 hectare area near the village Novolativka in Shyrokivskyi district.The object was granted the protected status to preserve the outcrops of arkose sandstones on the right bank of the Ingulets river.
Documented security obligations that are stored in the archives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration prohibit mining of natural resources, any breach of soil cover, topography and geological outcrops, destruction of and damage to trees, shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, entry of any transport, and other works that can lead to destruction of natural connections and natural processes, loss of scientific, economic and aesthetic value of the of natural reserve fund.
In accordance with the current legislation, the nature reserve fund is under state protection and is national property of the Ukrainian people. Damage to protected areas entails responsibility in accordance with Art. 252 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law” addressed the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine with the request to initiate litigation processes regarding stoppage of illegal extraction of minerals in the territory of Novolativska village council and adjacent territories (including near Rudnichne village), to get compensation for the damage caused and restore “Outcrops of arcose sandstones”, and to encourage the prosecutor’s bodies to take measures to protect representative interests of the state.
More about the monument: https://uk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1757565
Foto from Wiki storage: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bila_skelya?uselang=uk
Oleksiy Vasyliuk, EPL environmental scientist,
firstname.lastname@example.org, (032) 225 76 82