by electronic mail - e-postoffices please pass print or mail texts to:
President Viktor Yuschenko
Dear President,
THE
ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY OF THE DANUBE DELTA BIOSPHERE RESERVE MUST BE PRESERVED INTACT
Congratulations
on your election.
Over the past
2 years conservationists worldwide have lent their support to Ukrainian campaigners in order to prevent the building of a
deep-water Danube - Black Sea canal through the
core area of the UNESCO Danube biosphere reserve region, which is a part of the Ukrainian-Romanian Danube Delta
bilateral reserve.
According to
studies carried out by local and international conservation experts in your country, the realisation of such a project in
the reserved zone will result in irremediable environmental damage to a significant part of the area. This will
have serious consequences for the habitats and survival of many protected and endangered species of flora and fauna.
We support the
concerns of the National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine - as well as a number of other scientific and public organizations
- and urge you to take all necessary steps to reverse the plans of the previous government to realise this project in the
biosphere reserve. Its conservation is of utmost importance to the Ukraine and to Europe as a whole.
We also appeal
to you personally to redeem your election promises and accept the pan-European policies and responsibilities which you
embrace. These are particularly important for your nation in the field of conservation and environmental protection. We hope
that you will be able to give the necessary assurances to the European Parliament and Commission which you will be visiting
very early in your term of office.
We wish you every success
in your efforts to introduce modern and democratic processes in the Ukraine.
Yours sincerely,
[Name and Address]
