Anyone wishing to go for a walk in a Crimean forest or park should be ready to pay for the experience. The autonomous republic’s legislature on June 21 adopted a decree to levy taxes for those who specifically use forest resources. According to the act, nature lovers, adventurers, and farmers alike should pay a certain amount of money for entering a forest, grazing their animals, bike riding or for picking mushrooms, berries, and herbs.
According
to the price list, one kilogram of nuts picked in the forest will cost Hr 1.50,
and Hr 1 for one kilogram of fruits, mushrooms, berries and herbs.
Grazing in
the forest will cost animal owners Hr 49 per year, and hay – Hr 5 per hectare.
People, who
would like to just walk in the forest, will also be charged. A forest hike or
bike ride through the woods will cost an annual fee of Hr 10, and horse riding
– Hr 15 per head per year.
However,
local officials say these conditions will apply only to those wanting to make
money from nature, not private visitors.
“It will
affect those businesses that carry out their activities in the forests. If a person
collects herbs for themselves, no one will charge them. Another thing is when herbs
are being loaded into cars, then one has to pay,” said Mykola Yanaki, presidium
member of the Crimean parliament and head of the legislature’s land commission.
Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Kapliuk can be reached at [email protected].
