"We'll have to fight ragweed constantly now": a dangerous invasive plant and allergen has been brought to one of the most beautiful places in the Western Caucasus—the Lagonaki Plateau.
"Allergy sufferers used to escape the allergen blooms in our mountains, but now the preoccupation with eco-tourism and pocketing billions of budget money has led to the introduction of harmful plants to the very tops."- write activists speaking out in defense Lagonaki.
Previously, ragweed didn't reach high in the mountains, but this happened with the construction of new roads and the massive development of summer tourism. Currently, roads are being built on Lagonaki for a future ski resort, which has been opposed not only by Russian scientists but also by UNESCO. The plateau is part of the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve and the Western Caucasus World Heritage Site, but officials circumvented the ban for construction within the boundaries of a protected area.
— Common ragweed is one of the most dangerous invasive plants in Russia, — An environmental project expert explained to NeMoskva "The earth touches everyone", candidate of biological sciences Alexey Yaroshenko. "It can invade natural ecosystems, displacing and replacing native species. It's an aggressive weed and a very powerful allergen (its pollen causes allergies). Once ragweed has appeared somewhere, there's simply no way to get rid of it once and for all."
This situation is part of a general dangerous trend, Yaroshenko noted:
The Ministry of Natural Resources is trying by all means to develop tourism in specially protected natural areas, create the necessary infrastructure in and around them, and attract as many people as possible. The long-term environmental consequences could be extremely dire. One of them will inevitably be the much faster and more widespread spread of invasive species, such as ragweed, which will accelerate the degradation of valuable natural ecosystems. Combating these consequences will take a very long time. I believe the current leadership of this supposedly nature conservation ministry will be remembered with very unkind words by many generations of specialists.
Ecologists done appeals to the prosecutor's office and Rosselkhoznadzor.