EarthAction distributed a media release on 8 October announcing the successful international campaign to stop highway construction through the Khimki Forest in Moscow. While President Medvedev temporarily halted construction, he has yet to make a final decision about the route of the highway.
An excerpt from the media release:
On 26 August Russian President Medvedev ordered a halt to construction of a highway through a critical Moscow forest in response to international environmental concerns and fired the mayor of Moscow, in part, for his role in pushing the project.
Evgenia Chirikova and Mikhail Matveev, leaders of the Save Khimki Forest movement wrote to the EarthAction Network, “Thank you very much for your support of our efforts in defending Khimki Forest . . . it was great to see we are not alone. We are sure that your numerous emails were essential in making that happen.”
President Medvedev is expected to make a decision on the route for the highway on October 12. It is believed that he is only considering two routes, both of which go through the Khimki Forest. EarthAction is joining Russian campaigners in urging Medvedev to select a third option that bypasses the Forest completely.
***UPDATE***
While President Medvedev was expected to make a decision on the highway route yesterday, a final verdict has yet to be made public. At this time, it is unknown whether the fate of the Khimki Forest has been decided. If you have not already sent a letter to President Medvedev, please send a message now, urging him to select an alternative route for the highway through his website. We want to take advantage of the opportunity to act on this very important and urgent issue!
To read the full media release, click here.
