On behalf of the Governor of Murmansk region, I hereby announce that the Government of Murmansk region and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences have studied a project to create a Khibiny national park. This project has received the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.
The national park will be situated on 168,400 hectares of Khibiny and Lovozero tundras. The landscape in this area is unique for Russia and all of Northern Scandinavia. Its soil is rich with nutrients that give birth to unique flora, including many rare species unknown to the rest of the world. The draft project has been sent for approval to the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation. After a positive finding, the draft project will be introduced to the Government of the Russian Federation. If it is approved, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation will establish the boundaries of the natural protected areas according to the project.
Consideration was made of operational mining sites, including the Partomchorr deposit, when the park’s boundaries were discussed. Development of Partomchorr means job creation and transport infrastructure growth. This will have a positive effect on the region’s social stability and is vital for the industrial development of Murmansk region as a whole. At the same time, the government of Murmansk region hopes that responsibility and respect for nature will be priority during development of the Partomchorr deposit. The negative environmental impact of constructing the MPC should be reduced to a minimum, as the protection of unique natural landscapes and ecosystems should be the project’s top priority at all stages. NWPC has suggested creating a working group of representatives of non-governmental environmental organizations to analyze and choose the best project design.
