A woman has been accused by police in Kyiv on Apr. 19 of fraudulently claiming a section of Holosiivskyi National Nature Park as her private property, according to Pragmatika. Authorities say the woman built a fence and constructed a house on the land, allegedly using forged documents to support her claim.
Police said, “Investigators informed the offender of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: unauthorized construction of structures on an unauthorizedly occupied plot of especially valuable land and Part 4, Article 358 — use of knowingly forged documents,” per Pragmatika.
The alleged crime involves nearly two acres within the protected park. The suspect is described as a businesswoman by authorities. If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison.
Cases involving protected lands being annexed for personal or corporate use have occurred elsewhere. For example, a corporation attempted to build a multibillion-dollar mill within a conservation area in Brazil, sparking public outrage. In Bolivia, officials canceled an agreement with conservationists who wanted to protect forest land and instead sold it to a company planning deforestation.
There are also examples where individuals have donated private property for conservation purposes. Teresa Scott, who donated ten acres in Idaho to the Trust for Public Land instead of developing it herself, said according to Jackson Hole News & Guide: “Everybody needs to try to do their part to try to keep our world safe and beautiful. You hate to see all the wild places disturbed and going away.”
