The choice of site for the next Winter Olympics has drawn a frosty reception from conservationists
Sochi, a resort town by the Black Sea coast in far south-western Russia, will be hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2014. Sochi is only 50km from the Caucasus mountains, a natural Unesco World Heritage Site. The area is also home to a nature biosphere reserve and a national park, both of which host rare and endangered species.
Environmental campaigners are becoming increasingly concerned about significant damage in this sensitive area.
To prepare for the games, the Russian government is spending $10.8bn on building a massive infrastructure that includes sport venues, a mountain Olympic village, telecommunications network, and hydroelectric and thermal power plants. In addition, 200km of roads, tunnels, bridges and a high-speed rail link are being built. The airport is being modernised and new hotels and an offshore terminal for cruise ships are being built.
Development v conservation
Environmentalists say such large scale construction will damage the pristine forests, mountains, rivers and rich flora and fauna in the area. NGOs also allege that a number of local residents have been forcefully evicted from their homes to make way for roads and buildings.
The Sochi Olympics organising committee on the other hand says the infrastructure built for the games will contribute to the economic, cultural and environmental development of the entire region.
The games’ venues are divided into two clusters – on the coast and in the mountains – which are connected by the Mzymta river. The project includes construction of a high-speed rail link and a highway to connect the two venues, which NGOs say are unnecessary and will damage the river.
Campaigning groups Greenpeace Russia and WWF Russia initially agreed to work with the government to help assess and minimise the environmental impact of the project. But both have now withdrawn from the consultations and blame the authorities for ignoring the environmental damage the construction will cause.
“Our major concern is that the project design is of poor quality. It is not based on a proper environmental impact assessment,” says Igor Chestin, chief executive of WWF Russia.
He says the geological survey of the site was not done properly. “The mountain cluster is situated close to a tectonic fault, which means the area can have high intensity earthquakes.”
Last year, the United Nations Environment Programme signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian authorities to advise them on making the Olympics environment-friendly. The organisers agreed to relocate two facilities – the luge and bobsleigh tracks – away from the Caucasus nature reserve on UNEP advice. Sochi has also joined UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network, a programme to encourage low-carbon economies and societies.
The UNEP mission visited the site in January to evaluate the progress. In a subsequent report, released in March, UNEP criticises the Sochi planners for not taking into account the effects on ecosystems of the construction and related projects. UNEP also urges activists to re-engage with the authorities.
Chestin says thorough research is needed to fully assess the environmental impact and to redesign the project together with a strict monitoring of construction to minimise the damage.
“If the authorities don’t act immediately, the valley will be totally destroyed, it will lose its biodiversity value and there will be worse catastrophes in the area killing more people,” he warns.