Ukraine Canal Threatens Danube Delta - UN Study
Date: 11-Jul-06
Country: SWITZERLAND
Author: Robert Evans
The canal would destroy nesting and feeding sites for unique bird colonies and spawning and nursery areas for fish important to economies in both Ukraine and Romania, it said.
"The report leaves no doubt that the project as currently envisaged will have a very negative effect on the ecology on both sides of the frontier," said one UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The region, the second largest river delta in Europe after that of the Volga, is a major annual gathering point for millions of migratory birds.
It is also home to Europe's largest pelican colony and several endangered fish species, rich in unique plant life, and includes a UN World Natural Heritage Site.
TENSIONS
The Bystroe Canal project has sparked tensions between Ukraine and Romania, which share the Delta, and drawn sharp criticism from the European Union and environmental groups.
Ukraine, which says the canal will give a boost to the depressed economy on its side of the border, began dredging and construction work in 2004 without formally notifying Romania.
Romania asked the UN's Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), which manages the 1991 Espoo Convention committing signatories to consult on development projects which could affect their neighbours, to set up the study the same year.
The finding of the scientists, headed by a Dutch professor and including Ukrainian and Romanian experts, "show that the Convention must be applied in this case," said Kaj Barland, director of the ECE's division handling environmental issues.
The report was delivered to the ambassadors of Ukraine and Romania at the ECE on Monday. The ambassadors indicated their governments would now consult on how to tackle the problems, officials said.
Under the convention, Ukraine will also have to discuss the project with inhabitants of the Delta and non-governmental organisations. Ukrainian environmentalists have been among the most vociferous opponents of the scheme.
The scientists, the report said, found unanimously dredging for the canal, aimed at linking the Danube and the Black Sea, would destroy flood plain areas and pollute marine waters with spoil dumped at sea.
Maintenance and shipping traffic once the canal was in operation could make recovery difficult, it said.
The Espoo Convention, named after the town in Finland where it was signed, has no provision for sanctions if a signatory violates its provisions. This is the first case since it went into effect in 1996 that has reached dispute stage.
But diplomats say it has a constraining effect and no country would want to be seen openly flouting it.
