A Committee of UNESCO protests against building a health resort of Lagonaki in Adygeia

UNESCO Committee of World Heritage expressed its concern about the plans of “Health Resorts of Northern Caucasus” public corporation to build a health resort Lagonaki in the territory of an object of World Heritage “Western Caucasus”.

During the 35-th session of UNESCO Committee of World Heritage a decision was taken in which UNESCO insists that Russia should immediately stop developing infrastructure, tourist facilities and deforestation within the territory of Lagonaki and also exonerate damaged areas.

There is a request to the Russian Federation in the resultant resolution to submit all the materials on estimation of the impact of all these projects which may influence maintenance of the environment of “Western Caucasus” to the World Heritage Center.

Besides, Russia was asked to provide information on possible changes to the legislation and take all necessary legal steps for maintenance of high level protection of World natural heritage, “Yuga.ru” reports.

“After the decision taken by UNESCO any foreign capital investments into the project of Lagonaki health resort should be regarded as an explicit threat to UNESCO World Heritage. Russian non-governmental organizations together with their foreign colleagues will undertake a campaign against plans of participation of foreign private or state financial institutions in this project”, representative of “Environmental Watch on North Caucasus” Suren Gazaryan commented.

Vladimir Petrov, Chairman of the Committee of tourism and health resorts of Adygeia, assures that “a network of cableways and alpine skiing tracks are expected to be built in the territory of Lagonak plateau which will produce minimum influence upon the human being and environment because the whole hotel infrastructure will be located outside specially guarded zones”, RIA “Novosti” reports.