Although this hydrological natural monument has been under the protection of the Velykyi Bychkiv Village Council since 2021, its boundaries have not yet been entered into the State Land Cadastre. The Tyachiv District Prosecutor’s Office has filed a lawsuit seeking a ruling that the local government’s inaction is unlawful.
The unique high-altitude glacial lake of Gereshaska, located in the Svidovets Range of the Carpathians, is at risk of suffering from uncontrolled interference due to the lack of properly executed land management documentation. To protect this natural landmark from illegal economic activity and destructive off-roading, the prosecutor’s office has intervened in the case.
The Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office announced that a lawsuit has been filed.
A Natural Gem Without Clear Boundaries in the Cadastral Registry
Lake Hereshaska (covering an area of 1.35 hectares) lies on the southwestern slope of Mount Dogiaska at an elevation of 1,577 meters above sea level. Back in 1984, the body of water was granted the status of a hydrological natural monument of local significance, and in 2021, it was officially transferred to the protection of the Velyky Bychkiv Village Council (Rakhiv District):
- Unfulfilled obligations: Despite legislative requirements, the settlement council has still not ensured the preparation of the necessary land management documentation, has not demarcated the boundaries of the nature conservation area directly on the ground with boundary markers, and has not entered the relevant information into the State Land Cadastre;
- Legal Vulnerability: The prosecutor’s office emphasizes that, in the absence of boundaries established on the ground, it is extremely difficult to legally protect the nature reserve from unauthorized occupation or illegal interference. In addition, the lack of informational signs makes it difficult for tourists traveling along the popular mountain trails of Svidovets to find their way.
The Threat of Off-Road Driving and Prosecutors’ Demands in Court
Environmentalists and law enforcement officials are particularly concerned about the widespread and uncontrolled use of off-road vehicles, ATVs, and enduro motorcycles in the highlands:
- The Svidovets mountain range is partially part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and other nature reserve areas, where the use of motorized vehicles is strictly limited or prohibited by law;
- Heavy machinery is destroying the unique high-mountain soil cover, Red Book flora, and the shoreline of the glacial lake.
In light of this, the Tyachiv District Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against the Velykyi Bychkiv Village Council, demanding:
- To declare unlawful the inaction of the local government body in failing to ensure the preparation of land management documentation;
- To oblige the settlement council to organize and carry out a comprehensive set of works to determine, demarcate on the ground, and enter into the cadastre the boundaries of the “Lake Hereshaska” hydrological natural monument of local significance.
Source and video: Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
