Update 12:35  Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has criticized the impact on wildlife of construction projects for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The cumulative impact, in particular, of several projects around the Black Sea resort are not being addressed, says Unep in a new report that was requested by the Russian government. The report follows a late January visit to the site by a Unep team.

It is  not too late for the Games to serve as an environmental showcase, however, says Unep, which praises the Russian Railway, Ministry of Natural Resources and the 2014 Sochi Games organizers for being open to discussions.

A summary of the report, to be published 18 March, is available online (pdf).

Among Unep’s key findings:

• A combined road/rail project has requested impact studies, but these need more field data and they are often based on out-of-date information
• “the assessments focused on the direct impacts of the projects to the immediate surrounding and did not take into account the cumulative and synergetic effects of the various projects on the ecosystems of the Sochi region and its population”
• local and regional authorities are taking too long to implement decisions made to mitigate environmental impact for related projects, notably: “enlargement of the Sochi national park; strengthening of the level of protection of the most sensitive areas, such as the upper Mzimta valley; setting up of new protected areas, in particular along the Black Sea coast, in order to protect important wetlands and migratory routes of birds, as well as key types of natural habitats for wildlife”
• NGOs and developers need to improve communications, in particular to improve their willingness to listen to each other.

The last point is an oblique reference to tensions between builders and WWF and Greenpeace, with the two NGS’s calling a halt to their cooperation with builders. WWF in early February was harsh in its criticism of building projects in Sochi and demanded that Unep take a firm stance, which it felt was not the case after the UN group’s January visit to the region.

Unep is recommending that an “comprehensive assessment” study be carried out, to be followed by monitoring. It also recommends that a permanent Caucasus Eco-region Monitoring Centre be established.

Links to other sites: EarthTimes, Guardian, UK,

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.