A techno rave is scheduled to take place on April 18 in Belavezhskaya Pushcha. The event is set to be held at night at the residence of Ded Moroz.
Many Belarusians have been outraged by the choice of venue. On social media, users pointed out that loud concerts have no place in a national park, especially at night. Some of the comments included:
“Have the organisers lost all conscience? Leave nature reserves to the animals!!!”
“Your rave is inappropriate there! Did the birds and animals give their consent?”
“Was there really no other place in Belarus for a rave except a relic forest with rare species?”
“Have you mixed things up, organisers? Noise at the level of a techno rave is stress for all wild animals: birds may abandon their nests, and small animals their unweaned young in panic.”
On April 7, the national park administration attempted to justify the plans. It said environmental protection regulations had been taken into account, the festival site is located more than 1 km from the strictly protected zone, sound will be directed toward the centre of the площадки, and attendance will be limited to 700 people.
The explanations failed to satisfy Belarusians. Complaints appear to have been directed to the Ministry of Forestry. The ministry said the complaints were being sent to the wrong authority, as Belavezhskaya Pushcha is subordinate to the Administration of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
“The state national park ‘Belavezhskaya Pushcha’ is under the departmental authority of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus (not the Ministry of Forestry). All обращения will be forwarded by the Ministry of Forestry to the указанного органа for consideration. We ask citizens to take this information into account,” the ministry said.
