Press Release, 11.03.2021

Photo from the official website of the Administration of the Ryboretsky Vepsian rural settlement

Emilia Slabunova, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia and a member of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee, calls the parties of the lease agreement concluded between the timber industry company OOO DOK Kalevala and the Republic of Karelia to review the terms of the lease of forest plots on the territory of the original Vepsian settlements situated in the Sheltozersky, Ryboretsky, and Shokshinsky forest districts.

The parliamentarian asks the Governor of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov to intervene and take personal part in resolving the conflict situation with the participation of representatives of the owners of DOK Kalevala (the country’s largest manufacturer of OSB boards) and representatives of rural Vepsian settlements.

According to Emilia Slabunova, it is necessary, on agreement with representatives of rural Vepsian settlements, to give a number of forest areas the status of specially protected areas (territories of traditional nature management).

“Today there is a real threat of loss of opportunities for local residents, including representatives of the indigenous small people, to hunt, pick mushrooms and berries, that is, to lead a traditional way of life, engage in economic activity and crafts, also there arise problems with procurement of firewood for the population. Moreover, even a local cemetery is included in the leased areas for timber harvesting,” runs the appeal of Emilia Slabunova.

“Undoubtedly, the implementation of a project of such a scale on leased forest areas, that are virtually all adjacent to the settlements, will have a negative impact on the quality of life of the indigenous small people and their original habitat. The situation is aggravated by active mining developments in the territory of the region,” Emilia Slabunova says.

It should be noted that the lease of forest plots to OOO DOK Kalevala under the lease agreement dated August 16, 2018 No. 177-z for timber harvesting (total lease area is 48,000 hectares) in fact leads to a violation of the legal right of the Vepsians, as an indigenous small people, to use them free of charge in places of their traditional residence and traditional economic activity.

At the end of February, Emilia Slabunova visited the Ryboretsky Vepsian rural settlement, where she discussed the problem of deforestation with representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Karelia, the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs, the management of OOO DOK Kalevala, the leadership of the Prionezhsky district, the Ryboretsky settlement, local deputies and representatives of the initiative group of residents.