A petition to ban off-roading in the Carpathians did not receive the required number of votes

A petition calling for a ban on jeeping, enduro motorsports, and the use of other off-road vehicles outside public roads in protected areas of the Carpathian region did not receive the number of votes required for consideration.

The petition was submitted on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on June 29. As of September 30, it had gathered about 1,200 votes out of the required 25,000.

The petition notes that the Carpathians are an important natural area and a hub of biodiversity; however, according to the author of the petition, ecosystems are threatened by the use of off-road vehicles, ATVs, and enduro motorcycles.

“**The Carpathians are the heart of European wilderness, a unique ecosystem, a treasure trove of biodiversity, and Ukraine’s premier tourist destination. However, today our mountains are under threat of destruction due to so-called ‘jeeping’ and uncontrolled recreational activities involving off-road vehicles, ATVs/UTVs, and enduro motorcycles.

Driving heavy vehicles across mountaintops, high-altitude meadows, protected forests, and mountain riverbeds is an act of vandalism against nature. “This is not a sport, nor is it tourism development—it is the deliberate destruction of the environment for the entertainment of a select few**,” the petition states.

The author of the petition believes that among the main problems associated with off-roading are soil erosion and landslides, the destruction of flora and fauna, noise pollution, and a threat to hiking tourism.

The author of the petition calls for a legislative ban on the entry and movement of private off-road vehicles with high cross-country capability off public roads within the territories of nature reserve areas in the Carpathian region.

This refers, in particular, to:

• SUVs;
• ATVs;
• buggies;
• enduro motorcycles.

The author also proposes to increase penalties and fines for violations of the established regulations, and in the case of repeated or willful violations, to provide for the possibility of confiscating vehicles for the benefit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the state.

Another proposal is to create a more effective control mechanism. Specifically, this involves installing barriers and speed cameras at the entrances to protected areas, as well as conducting regular joint raids by national park administrations, forestry agencies, environmental inspection agencies, and the police.

The issue of off-road vehicle use in the Carpathians has already caused conflicts.

On July 22, organizers of jeep tours in Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, gathered near Environmental Control Point No. 1 in an attempt to block its operations and resolve the issue of vehicle access through the nature reserve fund territory.

According to the relevant agency, the protest was a reaction to joint operations conducted on July 21 by environmental inspectors, employees of the Carpathian National Nature Park, and the police to identify and document instances of vehicles illegally traveling through protected areas.

At the same time, the Association of Jeep and ATV Owners in Yaremche sent an open letter to the local community, the National Police of Ukraine, the prosecutor’s office, the State Environmental Inspection, and the Carpathian National Nature Park.

Representatives of the association called for regulating off-road driving, developing official routes outside recreational areas, and strengthening control over illegal operators.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Environment, damages caused by illegal vehicle traffic and off-roading in nature reserve areas in 2026 are already estimated at 1.4 million hryvnias.

The issue of legally restricting off-road driving was also considered by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In 2025, parliament passed a bill in its first reading that would ban off-road driving in nature reserve areas.

At the same time, as of September 30, a petition on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine had not garnered the required 25,000 votes for it to be considered.

This is reported on the government’s website.

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