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Каспинфо ноябрь 1999 |
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Название: Каспийская нефть губит черноморское побережье (на английском яз) Главные Пункты: Окончание репортажа О.Берловой (30.11.1999) Полный Текст Каспийская нефть губит черноморское побережье (на английском яз) WHERE THE HEART OF THE AREA IS... Villages and grape groves, backed by the highlands are passing by the car window. This is Sukko valley - the most famous for its grapes and wines. Local people are selling their produce - grapes, peaches, plums, pears, watermelons on the roadsides. Majority of them a living on what they manage to sell (either produce, services or apartment rent) to people coming to the resorts and tourist attraction areas. We are now approaching the most valuable and unique protected area on the coast - and the most threatened one - Utrish reserve. Utrish reserve includes 28 square km of unique forested highlands and 25 square km of marine territory. Clear water and juniper forests are making the unique curing conditions of the area. Utrish and Abrau reserves situated between Novorossisk and Anapa are keeping the ecological balance of the area and preserving marine and terrestrial wildlife. The pipe will lie near the official border of the Utrish and Abrau reserves, and in case the project is carried out the whole area will be affected. This coastal area has been promoted for inclusion within the planned Utrish Biosphere Reserve . Eastern Mediterranean relict juniper and pistachio forests, grow here, and the valuable vineyards which grapes are used in making the world-renowned Abrau-Durso wine have brought fame to the site. The sea waters near the Abrausski Peninsula, harboring numerous rare species of hydrobionts, constitute the clearest and least polluted or disturbed section of the Russian Black Sea Coast. Work on designing Utrish Biosphere Zapovednik is currently under way. It would incorporate the Utrish zakaznik and Abrausski Zakaznik, which was established to protect the relict oak, pistachio and juniper forest habitats of some rare insects and several rare Mediterranean plant species, most of which exist only in this area and are included in the Red Book of Russia. species of butterfly, several mollusk species, as well as numerous aquatic invertebrates and terrestrial mammals, are also sheltered here. Creation of the Biosphere Zapovednik was defined as urgent by the State Committee on Environmental Protection; plans were expected to be completed in 1997. However, the specific characteristics of the region - the numerous land users, recreational zones and resorts and consequently complicated land relations - are delaying progress. However, the administration of Anapa has established one of the Zapovednik's two planned sites in its region - Utrish zakaznik (special purpose reserve). "The marine plants and animals will be the first victims if the terminal construction is carried on", says Stanislav Yermolayev. "Even on the construction stage many of the species would be wiped out because of the water mudded up by the construction works. Of course the area already suffers from pollution that reaches it from Novorossisk", Stanislav continues. As a former Utrish director he knows the area better than anyone else does. "Sometimes, when oilspill occurs in Novorossisk, it comes here. Thus, last year we had to clean our aquarium minks from oil. Of course, the spill amounts coming from Novorossiisk are incomparable to the possible from the new terminal. Right now sea still has a capacity of self-cleaning. Important part in this process has phylophora weed and other rare macrophyte weed cleaning the aquatoria. But the CPC project according to present scheme will kill this coast." We leave the car and walk across the small peninsula to the old lighthouse, then down to the shore. I am balancing in the water on the wet stones with my camera in order to get a shot of the clear water, seaweed and stones under it. Different fishes are wondering curiously around my feet, the bravest ones trying to nibble on my skin. One of the fishes is in the rainbow colors - they call it dog fish here. When it is threatened it puffs itself up like balloon. I also see crabs of different sizes grazing on the stones covered with the seaweed. A bit further there is muscle colony. Unfortunately, no Black Sea dolphins - aphalinas - appeared - we could see only those in aquarium, entertaining the public. All of a sudden I feel a strong fish smell and discover that the gulls inhabiting the shore have left a significant amount of their lifecycle traces on the stones I've been leaning on and that I desperately need to use the sea to wash these traces off. Fortunately, the gull-do comes off easily, not like oil. Our team takes a pleasant swim in the warm waves and then we continue on our way. "We are heading to the place we are proud of", says Yermolayev. "It is a unique pistachio and juniper grove. Junipers are creating unique air of the area - spreading the bacteria-killing phytoncides. Living here for several weeks may cure some bronchial diseases completely. Many junipers are 500-600 years old. These trees may live even longer than 1000 years. Unfortunately, many of them in the region, especially closer to Novorossiisk are ill or dying. Probably it's pollution". I feel sorry that no photos no videotapes can transmit the smell of the juniper forest. And then I remember our trip in Novorossiisk. During that trip I suddenly felt that I couldn't breathe because of an awful odor. "We are approaching Novorossiisk oil terminal system" - Yanis explained. Indeed, soon we saw a complicated and twisted multi-pipe construction, running to the port. "Houses and apartments cost almost nothing here", - Yanis continues. "Personally I don't want our village, all our resort and protected areas to smell like that. Among all CPC project problems is that they are not providing any devices to catch the hydrocarbons, to put it plain - the evaporating substances that are causing this odor choking you up. If our coast will smell like that, we all get illnesses that are presently cured here by the seawater and juniper air." This is what Iam thinking about when I am trying to portrait magnificent trees in the grove. "This pistachio tree is 600 years old" - I hear Yermolayev explaining into the camera. "This one with the fruit on it is younger. You can also see that here most of the junipers are more or less healthy, but if you move to the Abrausski zakaznik, you will see the stand of the ancient, but dead and already dry junipers." Probably I have a strong imagination, but a thought of this place as a stand of juniper sceletons and smelling of hydrogcarbons makes me shiver. On our move to Abrausski zakaznik we pass different billboards calling citizens to value and to protect forests. One of them said - "Forest is your friend - take care of it", the other stated that "Forest is the cathedral of the nature". My friends give a gloomy laugh remembering juniper logs on bare and dusty land, devastated landscape and CPC slogan. Even dead, the junipers on the steep mountain side look magnificent. Their bare silhouettes make us think of some bewitched forest. "They have stood here for hundreds of years, and may stand as much" - comments Yanis. "Fortunately, such "bewithced" groves are not many here. Of course the situation may change for worse, and we all know why..." We start feeling that CPC is a kind of an evil spirit haunting the area. "Look at this old tectonic break" - Yanis points out towards sheer cliff. "Now you by your own eyes see what kind of processes are going here under the earth surface. Yeah, take a good picture of that so everybody can see it, if the seismic index 9 does not look impressive enough. By the way, seismic index of earthquake in Turkey was 8. Earthquake of such strenghth may occure here once in 10 years... But we also have in our region "seasonal" fall quakes starting in August with seismic index of approximately 2 - 4. You can see the traces - the bare unforested parts of the mountains - the earth has moved there". We also got our fair share of this "seasonal quake" experience - waking up a couple of nights because of our small summerhouse vibrating. Afterwards people and newspapers told us "that's our fall quake". "I am a gloomy optimist. If we fail in stopping the CPC project, the natural disaster will stop it," - Yanis says driving us throught the Abrau peninsula forests and famous grape groves. Here, in the highlands, surrounded by ancient mediterranean type forests, in the fresh sea air, the most famous grapes for the most famous wines of Abrau - Durso winery are grown. The champaigns, red and white sparkling wines of Abrau - Durso are highly appreciated and won many international awards. People here have grown grapes and made wine for centuries, living in peace with their natural environment. In the whole area we have visited I have not seen mountains damaged by cattle grazing, like it is in Crimea (Ukraine) or in some parts of Bulgaria. Only near Novorossiisk city the mountains are stripped by mergel extraction. We stop by Abrau lake with its water of unusual greenish turqoise color. People are swimming and sailing. We are taking a couple of shots while Yanis tells us the story of Abrau - Durso champaigns. "Two Russian noblemen stole champaigne secret from the French. They did the dirtiest job in the French winery pretending that they are poor immigrants not understanding much French. Gradually they learned the recepie and the process details", concludes Yanis his industrial espionage story. The last of site of this day is an officially protected nature monument - "Lymanchik" -a unique small freshwater lake separated from the sea by thin, naturally developed damb. Once it was a small sea bay, but in time the sand, rocks and soil developed this damb and former bay gradually became a freshwater lake. It is shallow and clear enough to see the weeds and the animals on the bottom. Big grass-snake throws its self into the water, numerous frogs and toads haste away as I am making my way through two-three humah heights high reed surrounding the lake. While taking pictures I figure out that all these nature wonders are located on the small piece of land - along the 14 kilometers long coastline. Many of its parts have preserved undisturbed by the humans - just like it was thousands of years before humans came to the place. The Utrish reserve is 18 km away from Anapa, and Abrausski reserve starts 8 km away from Novorossiisk. Right where the pipe will come out on the shore and into the sea. We have been there on our first day trip, when we were filming the CPC construction sites. Stripped land whacked by heavy construction vehicles, yellow dust, stinking puddle in the future bed of the pipe - and the clearest water down near the shore. This is a continuation of the Shirokaya Balka beach - a resort area near Novorossiisk. Natural stone plates are leading right into the sea forming a kind of natural bath. People like swimming and sunbathing there. We saw a couple of people passing by. Few days later CPC employees closed the area and would not let anyone walk by the shore.I also remembered the small piece of grpe grove that was not torn off by the construction works on the border of the site. Black grape bunches covered with yellow dust and a heavy construction vehicle near looked very symbolic. WHO CARES Next morning during the coffee we read the local newspapers. We learn that Novorossiisk city and nearby resorts this year experienced a tourist boom and that it is expected to gain more profits next year. We could see these expectations in Shirokaya Balka - new hotels, cafes and restourants were built, and the old, Soviet times ones - renewed. We talked to the hostess of one of the cafes. "CPC will kill all our business, we know that. But the authorities have received bribes and we really don't know what to do", she says. Having learned that there are people working to organize referendum, she is eager to collect signature in support of it. Further reading discivers an interview with Mauricio Croche, CPC floating terminal general manager from Chevron. He does not even deny the dangers of the project or the possible breakdowns. (in the project there is a claim that all is 100% safe). Being asked about how CPC is going to clean up beaches he jokes that probably the stones near Novorossisk and Gelendgic would be scrubbed by some enthusiasts, while CPC would give food and clothing. Then he said that there is a special clean up program for the beach clean up. First of all, I do not like this kind of humor. Second - who needs beaches if water is polluted. Noone denies that it will be. We have couple of things to talk about with the CPC CEO in Novorossiisk Dolgov. First of them is our illegal arrest. Dolgov was not too friendly. First he did not want let us in at all. Finally he decides to talk, but with no camera or recorder. Only one journalist, says he. But then Ana and Victoria manage to get in with Yanis assistance. I am staying in the car. In half an hour my collegues walk out of the office, obviuosly impressed. The essence of the conversation was the following. First - our arrest was all securities fault. Second, he did not care what journalists write or people say. Investigating the case, we came to the same conclusion - they in CPC don't care what local people - the true owners of this land, those, who truly depend on it - think. Neither the do care about interests of people who come here to for cure and rest. Such notion as environmental interests and rights does not exist to them at all. But the way it was admitted so eagerly and openly stroke us. In the west, companies - CPC shareholders - through their PR at least pretend that they care. Chevron, which is the true project leader, claim that the company cares about the habitats and protected areas. Or is this PR just for civilized west, while in "wild" and "uncivilized" Russia anything goes? Just because the corrupted officials are selling off peoples and nature interests? This is what we've been thinking about heading to the airport. Forested mountains, grape groves and villages were again passing by the window... We remember Yanis saying "Money can't be a global philosophy. The evolution to happiness is not connected to money". We hope that our freinds will win this fight against big money. Win for the interest of us all, because this unique place where water and the air are so clear and curing and nature is so generous belong to all of us - and to our children. Many thanks to Yanis Karakezidi, Yuzhnaya Ozereika leader, great artist, our guide, guard and driver at the expedition Stanislav Yermolayev, schief environmental officer of Anapa, our guide and expert Ana Kochineva and Victoria Kolesnikova, my colleagues in SEU Press-service, with whom we share all our work, dangers and fun and wrote this article. |