In the Carpathians, off-road vehicles have been racing on Lake Hereshaska, and environmentalists are sounding the alarm
A controversial video is circulating online showing SUVs driving right across the water and along the shores of the high-altitude Lake Gereshaska in the Carpathians. The footage has sparked a wave of outrage among Ukrainians, who are demanding punishment for the offenders and stricter control over nature reserves.
The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve stated that Lake Hereshaska is not part of the reserve’s protected lands and is not under its jurisdiction.
“The fact is that Lake Hereshaska is not part of the reserve at all; it is not managed by the reserve and is not under its jurisdiction,” the reserve emphasized.
According to official data, the body of water is located within the Velykobychkivska community in the Rakhiv District of Zakarpattia Oblast and has held the status of a hydrological natural monument of local significance since 1984.
Environmentalists note that off-road vehicles entering high-altitude areas are recorded every year, but it is not always possible to effectively prevent this.
The nature reserve emphasizes that although they are not formally responsible for this territory, they fully share the public’s concern over the destruction of unique natural ecosystems.
Experts stress that the movement of off-road vehicles and ATVs in the mountains causes serious damage to nature:
- it destroys vegetation
- compacts the soil
- causes slope erosion
- disrupts animal habitats
- scares wild animals with engine noise
Restoring such ecosystems can take decades.
Fines are imposed for illegal driving in nature conservation areas. Specifically, according to current regulations, for every 100 meters of illegal driving, the fine exceeds 1,000 UAH, and in some cases, the vehicle may be impounded
The situation in Hereshaska has once again brought to light the problem of uncontrolled off-roading in the Carpathians, which causes conflicts every year between tourists, local communities, and conservationists.
This was reported by the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve on its official Facebook page (Carpathian Biosphere Reserve).
Earlier, a herd of feral cows appeared in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after the animals were abandoned by their owners.
A unique natural event took place in the center of the city of Chernobyl: six white storks landed simultaneously on the roof of an administrative building near the “Star of Polyn” memorial. This is a sensational event, as the last time white storks nested in the city itself was twenty years ago.
As a reminder, on April 5–6, the previous owners—Odarka and Hrytsyk—returned to the nest in the “Pyriatyn” National Nature Park, where a new pair of storks—Kvitka and Lel—had formed on April 2.
