Khortytsia Island, an ancient and sacred place in Ukraine, whose history dates back thousands of years and reaches the roots of civilization — the legendary first states of Aratta (6,200 BC), Oriana (mid-2nd century BC), Artania (7th-8th century AD), and subsequently the first Cossack republic, the Zaporozhian Sich whose cultural capital and military center was Khortytsia. There are different opinions on the etymology of this word. The most likely one seems the proud name Khors, the ancient Slavs’ mythical ruler of the Sun. Some of the most important ancient Slavic and pre-Slavic sanctuaries were located on Khortytsia. In the late 19th century Yakiv Novytsky, a noted Zaporozhian ethnographer and student of local lore, mentioned 136 burial mounds from different epochs in his essay “Khortytsia Island on the Dnipro.” The most important archaeological studies of the island were carried out in the first years of independence in the early 1990s. Four Bronze Age sanctuaries have been discovered in the northern part of the island.
EXTINCT PLANT VARIETIES AND SQUATTING
In order to preserve historic Zaporozhian Cossack sites, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine passed a resolution to create Khortytsia National Preserve, including the island proper and a number of adjacent islands. Incidentally, Khortytsia Island was proclaimed a republican nature monument already in 1963, when the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR issued a decree establishing an historical-cultural preserve. Under the law, the Khortytsia National Preserve must be protected as a national property with a special functioning regime. However, the actual situation is different.
With the authorities’ blessing the Dnipro rapids and Velykyi Luh (Great Meadow) were flooded by artificial reservoirs not so long ago. Over the past three to four decades such beautiful plants as spring adonis, valerian, and haircap have disappeared; white water lily, spatter dock, water nut, marshland iris, and the colorful petticoat daffodil are on the verge of extinction. Some 1,000 plant species used to grow here and there used to be some 160 species of birds and animals. The biota of the plavni (marshlands, inundated meadows) to the south remains relatively unaffected.
Articles 6 and 7 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Nature Preserve Fund of Ukraine” state that territories and projects that have special ecological, scientific, aesthetic, economic, historical, and cultural value are designated as nature preserves and historical and cultural sites, and are subject to complex protection measures. In 1993 the Ministry of Culture was supposed to take stock of the projects and facilities at Khortytsia Preserve and together with relevant ministries, agencies, organizations, and the Zaporizhia regional state administration resolve the issue of their transfer to the preserve and the relocation of irrelevant organizations (particularly the Institute of Animal Husbandry Mechanization).
However, the plots of land on the island have yet to be placed under the Khortytsia Preserve’s protection; in other words, the preserve has still not received a permanent national land tenure deed. It is strange but at the same time understandable why these plots of land on Khortytsia Island are still municipal rather than state property. Why is the fate of this especially valuable property not decided by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in accordance with Article 150 of the Code?
To date over 2,000 hectares of Khortytsia Island are owned by more than 20 organizations and enterprises (preventive treatment centers, recreational facilities, etc.). Thus, 736.77 hectares belong to the Khortytsia Forestry of Zaporizhia’s state forestry. More than 30 hectares are being used by squatters as vegetable gardens. They say that one local resident even built a private hothouse over an area of 240 m2 . Another “nature lover” built a 48 m 2 garage. The question is what are the local authorities, particularly the State Department for Ecology and Natural Resources of Zaporizhia oblast, doing about this? Under the law appropriated plots must be returned to the lawful owners and tenants without any compensation. Bringing the plots of land into a suitable state for use, including the demolition of buildings and other structures, is taking place at the expense of individual citizens or juridical persons who have occupied plots of land.
BRIDGES
The construction of motor transport bridges across the Dnipro is an acute topic in Zaporizhia. Two projects have been submitted to “divine justice.” One has been discarded, namely a highway in the southern part of the island, which would have traversed the marshlands (347 hectares), what is left of the Velykyi Luh to which the Zaporozhian Cossacks fondly referred as Batko (Father).
The other is a bypass to the south of Khortytsia. During the harsh years of WWII a wooden bridge was built here, mostly by women. In time it rotted and collapsed. Today, however, this option appears to be the most ecologically feasible one for the city, as it will direct the bulk of transit transport to a detour road. The project, however, turned out to be too expensive.
Finally, a third option was chosen, a route across Khortytsia, below the bridges of Preobrazhenske, as the least expensive one. This project will be carried out as part of the existing transport corridor that will be expanded later.
A cabinet resolution signed by Viktor Yanukovych, when he was the prime minister, reads that the route will be 9.1 km long, including bridges across the Dnipro (660 m) and Staryi Dnipro (260 m). The project’s budget is 1.76 million hryvnias. In other words, plans are being made on a large scale, which are reminiscent of Hrytsko Nechosa (Potemkin).
Last summer experts from the nature preserve completed a study of a giant Bronze Age sanctuary located on the site of the projected highway. Also located on Khortytsia Island (in addition to orchards and private vegetable gardens), and on the islands of Baida, Dubovy, Try Stohy Cliffs (Three Haystacks) and Try Braty Cliffs (Three Brothers) is the Dnipro Rapids, a general geological reserve of statewide importance that belongs to Ukraine’s Nature Preserve Fund and which is part of Khortytsia National Preserve. To secure its proper protection and to preserve the unique geological formations, cliff vegetation, and what is left of the ravine forests and marshlands, the reserve was placed under the jurisdiction of Zaporizhia’s City Council in the person of the mayor.
On Sept. 15 a working group signed a memorandum at an external meeting regarding concerted action by central and local self-government authorities, businessmen, research, design, and other institutions and organizations, as well as the general public, aimed at preserving and further developing Khortytsia National Preserve.
The memorandum states that President Viktor Yushchenko has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to continue the construction of a highway with new bridges near the existing bridges, subject to the condition that a southern railway-automobile bridge will be built across the Dnipro with a view to transferring the circulation of all railroad transport currently moving across Khortytsia.
This highway and the bridge crossings are designed to embellish Khortytsia and Zaporizhia. Competitions for the best design will be held. Appropriate changes will be made to previously adopted projects after extensive public discussions. Cars will be able to leave the highway and head for the nature preserve.
The whole idea sounds great, as it should, and is in keeping with the principles of current Western civilization. The question is: Will they be able to have their cake and eat it?
In order to preserve the unique nature monuments in the rapids section of the Dnipro and to implement the Ukrainian president’s edict, the Ministry for Protection of the Environment of Ukraine has proposed that the draft national program for the development of Khortytsia National Preserve for 2006-2010 include measures to protect the nature complexes and sites on the territory of the preserve (e.g., installation of warning and boundary line signs, billboards, etc.). In pursuance of the Law of Ukraine “On the National Program to Create a National Ecological Network in 2000-2015,” the environment ministry has prepared a draft edict of the president of Ukraine “On the Establishment of Velykyi Luh National Park,” to be created in Vasylivka raion, Zaporizhia oblast. This will make the environment in the lower Dnipro reaches more representative and its protection more effective, and will help solve a number of ecological problems, particularly the rational use of natural recreational resources.
The draft edict is being coordinated with various interested ministries and agencies, whereupon the document will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
