On February 15, 2021, a working meeting of the Acting Chairman of the State Space Agency of Ukraine Mykhailo Lev with representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
During the meeting, the parties agreed to provide satellite data for remote sensing of the Earth in order to identify violations in the environmental sphere and prevent significant abuses.
“The cooperation of the State Space Agency on the Ministry of Environment has expanded the range of satellite images in Ukraine. This is a good opportunity to develop those services that have long been operating in advanced countries around the world and bring significant results in combating and preventing environmental crime. We are always open to suggestions and look forward to the cooperation between state bodies in the field of control and monitoring of the territory of Ukraine in order to protect state interests. From now on, in the environmental sphere as well, the level of response to threats will meet the world standards of satellite resource use, ”said Acting Chairman of the State Tax Administration Mykhailo Lev during the meeting.
Thanks to the cooperation of the Ministry of Environment with the State Space Agency of Ukraine, from now on illegal logging, mining, natural dumps, as well as the construction of reservoirs will be monitored by aerospace surveying.
“We are very grateful to the State Space Agency for the opportunity to take images from space in retrospect and to collect reliable information about illegal logging or quarrying. Now, based on the inspection, the DEI inspectors will clearly know the coordinates of the places to pay attention to first, and will identify the culprits faster. This new tool for approaching environmental control is being tested. It will help simplify the procedure of conducting the inspections themselves, speed up the calculation of damages and become a significant piece of evidence in the courts, “said Roman Shakhmatenko, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
The practice of using space images shows the rapid results of recording environmental offenses and identifying the culprits. And retrospective analysis helps to understand in which areas you need to conduct enhanced control.
The National Space Management and Testing Center has been identified as a remote sensing service provider. The State Space Agency of Ukraine, for its part, is working to regulate the status of satellite images as evidence in court.
