Database of Environmental Damage Assessment Laboratories launched in Ukraine

A database of environmental damage assessment laboratories has been launched in Ukraine, compiled by the NGO “National Interest Advocacy Network “ANTS” and the NGO “Save Dnipro” on the basis of publicly available information. The database is displayed on an interactive map of Ukraine on the resource Saveecobot.com and can help communities, businesses and environmental institutions to find nearby laboratories with the necessary expertise and equipment to analyze water, soil, air and other components of the biosphere.

This was discussed during a presentation at the Media Center Ukraine.

“We aggregated data that existed on different resources and locations, which was quite inconvenient to use. We identified this need through communication with ecologists, eco-activists and eco-journalists,” said Olena Sas, coordinator of environmental programs at “National Interest Advocacy Network “ANTS”.

According to Pavlo Tkachenko, head of the IT department at SaveDnipro, the laboratories included in the database can be found both on the general map and by searching for regions and localities. The dataset is also available for download in machine-readable format on the Unified State Open Data Portal. The database will be expanded to include more information and detailed descriptions.

Iryna Chernysh, co-founder and head of SaveDnipro, noted that the creation of the database is crucial in light of the challenges related to gathering evidence of environmental damage caused by russia’s actions and holding the aggressor country accountable.

“We are now facing the challenge of collecting evidence that needs to be verified, and for this we need to conduct appropriate analyses in certified laboratories. Therefore, data aggregation is essential, and it is important to present it in a convenient format. SaveEcoBot, which has 1.5 million users, is the database where communities, eco-activists and other interested parties can easily access information to ensure the most comprehensive data collection. This data, collected at the site of the damage, will serve as critical evidence to hold russia accountable for the damage caused by its actions, by the war,” she explained.

According to Maksym Popov, Advisor to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the laboratory database will be useful not only for law enforcement agencies in Ukraine, but also for individuals, legal entities and communities. Despite some challenges in conducting expert assessments, the creation of this database is a good starting point for assessing the environmental damage caused by the aggressor.

“As representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, one of the challenges we see is that during criminal investigations, under the current Code of Criminal Procedure, we have the right to commission expert opinions and conduct research through forensic institutions within the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. These expert examinations are free of charge for us. Similarly, the traffic police laboratories analyze these samples for us free of charge. However, when it comes to private laboratories or laboratories of other state agencies, we are unfortunately forced to find funding for these assessments, even for such important issues for the country as assessing the damage caused by armed aggression. This presents some challenges, and we clearly need to make more progress,” he noted.

At the same time, Dmytro Zaruba, First Deputy Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate, said that the State Environmental Inspectorate is always ready to receive any information that could help document the damage caused by the russian federation. He also emphasized the need to follow established algorithms, noting that each laboratory’s data requires analysis and adjustment depending on the areas and events that led to a given situation.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news