ME “Volynpryrodresurs” Transferred its First Reclaimed Area to the Manevychi State Forestry
ME “Volynpryrodresurs” (VPR) handed over the first recultivated site to the Manevychi State Forestry. The transfer act was signed by ME “Volynpryrodresurs” director Anatolii Kapustiuk and Manevychi Forestry director Volodymyr Radion on November 26, 2020, at the Vovchetsk Forestry. This was the first area taken into development by VPR, despite the fact that the upper soil layers had already been depleted by illegal amber diggers.
“On this site, 1.7 tonnes of amber were extracted, although the land had already been disturbed by illegal diggers – the topsoil was completely removed. Frankly, all the geologists doubted the feasibility of working in this area; everyone insisted that no amber remained and that further extraction would be unprofitable. Still, we decided to pass through all the worked-out horizons, reaching depths of 8–10–12 meters, and we discovered another deposit layer. To be honest, after the first two weeks we also began to doubt whether we would find anything: at depths of 3–4 meters we were digging out shovels, buckets, jackets – everything but amber. Fortunately, there was no access to water on this site, so illegal mining with pumps had not taken place. From the last layer, we finally extracted amber – and what’s more, of large fractions,” said the director of ME “Volynpryrodresurs”, Anatolii Kapustiuk.
The process of amber extraction inevitably has consequences for the environment. Landscape degradation, loss of fertile soil, and water pollution are only some of the problems that natural areas face after mining. Illegal amber diggers act solely in their own interests, without considering the harm they cause.
Illegal amber mining has destroyed more than 16 hectares of forest land. Barbaric digging methods ruined the root systems of trees, and nothing could grow on the disturbed soil – local flora and fauna were severely affected.
However, this forest was given a second life thanks to ME “Volynpryrodresurs” (VPR), which seeks to demonstrate how legal mining should be carried out without harming the environment. This autumn, VPR began legal amber extraction on this site, and as soon as the mining works were completed, reclamation started. The soil layers were returned in their natural order and compacted. The next step was to transfer the worked-out area to the forestry for biological reclamation – the land was planted with young seedlings. Reclamation includes not only restoring the landscape, but also creating conditions for vegetation recovery, preserving water resources, and supporting local ecosystems.
“We want to show how this land can be put in order and how to work properly without harming the environment. We extracted the amber that was still left after illegal mining, then we carried out mining-technical reclamation of the site and prepared it for biological recovery – tree planting. All of this was done at our own expense. Moreover, we are additionally covering one year of maintenance for the area,” said Anatolii Kapustiuk.
Thus, VPR not only extracts amber and other minerals, but also actively works on restoring ecosystems after mining operations. Reclamation is an important part of the company’s social responsibility.
