What is valuable Pripyat and Polesye?

Pripyat is one of the largest rivers damaged by man in Europe. This is the only river of Belarus that flows in a latitudinal direction, this defines its unique ecosystem. In the floodplain of the river every year 1.5 million birds gain strength during migration, and more than 90% of the total number of Belarusian bird species are registered in Polesye.

Do you like this picture? Yes, me too, but unfortunately  it is possible that we will lose this river because of the project E40. This waterway will affect one of the most valuable natural areas of Belarus: the Pripyatski National Park, the Polessky Radiation and Ecological Reserve, 11 republican reserves and six local reserves. Of these sites, 12 are of international importance.

The project, which envisages the construction of six dams and the deepening of the bottom of Pripyat, was unanimously called experts inexpedient for the economy and destructive for our nature.

However, the authorities are still hoping to find tractable investors under their own initiative, which could make a significant part of the representatives of the wild flora and fauna of Belarus disappear. Green portal tells about its five bright representatives.

What is E40?

This is a construction project of a shipping route over 2000 km long, which they want to build along the Vistula, Pripyat and Dnieper in order to connect the Baltic and the Black Sea. The project plan involves the construction of a bypass channel in Poland, six to seven dams and locks on Pripyat, and deepening works along the entire route - so that large-tonnage river-sea vessels can sail along our rivers. The E40 was initiated by a coalition of organizations from three countries led by the RUEPS Dnepro-Bug Waterway.

The following sources were used in writing the article:

https://stope40.org/

http://greenbelarus.info/articles/12-06-2018/dengi-ili-zhizn-pyat-krasnoknizhnyh-vidov-kotoryh-lishitsya-belarus-iz-za-e-40