“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 35 (2024), pages 849–858.

DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2024-35-849-858

Kovtun Dmytro
Ensuring Compensation for Damage Caused to the Forest Fund of Ukraine in Connection with the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation and Forest Restoration as Priorities of the State Fores

The article examines the issues of compensation for damage caused to the forest fund of Ukraine in connection with the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and forest restoration as priorities of the State forest policy. The author notes that the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has caused damage to almost a third of Ukrainian forests. First of all, it is fi res, explosions of ammunition, permanent noise pollution, construction of fortifi cations in forests and harvesting of wood for these purposes, as well as contamination of forest soils and water bodies with fuels and lubricants and other toxic substances from destroyed equipment, exploded and unexploded ammunition. As a result, forest biodiversity is severely damaged, including the destruction of natural habitats and the death of a signifi cant number of fl ora and fauna over a wide area, as well as the loss of traditional breeding grounds and migration routes for many species of fauna. As a result of the above-mentioned negative phenomena, Ukrainian citizens are losing or underutilising the ecosystem services provided by forests. Forestry policy is an important component of the state environmental policy and is a set of measures aimed at ensuring the protection, reproduction and effi cient, balanced use of all resources, useful properties and other values of forests necessary for civilisation today and in the future. Important priorities of the state forestry policy are to ensure compensation for the damage caused to the forest fund of Ukraine in connection with the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and forest restoration. Calculating this damage requires taking into account the concept of ecosystem services provided by forests. The aggressor State is obliged to fully compensate for the damage caused to the forest fund of Ukraine in particular and to the Ukrainian environment in general.

Key words: armed aggression; compensation for damage; damage caused to the forest fund of Ukraine; forest restoration; state forest policy.

References

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