Law. Human. Environment

Legal principles of forest fire protection on radiation hazardous lands of Ukraine in modern conditions

Olena Hulak, Dmytrii Holiaka
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Abstract

The legal framework for protecting forests from wildfires on radiationhazardous lands in Ukraine, especially in the current environment, considering the new challenges and threats posed by both martial law and accelerated climate change, requires a thorough analysis of the current legislation in this area, clarification of legal gaps, and identification of the most priority areas for its improvement. The purpose of this study was to analyse the system of current legislation aimed at regulating the protection and defence of forests from fires, including on radiation-hazardous lands of Ukraine, and to assess the level of efficiency of legal regulation of these social relations and to evaluate them. The methodological principles in the context of the study were general and special methods of scientific cognition, including formal logical, comparative legal, formal legal, statistical, analysis and synthesis, and dialectical methods. The study substantiated the complex nature of the system of forest protection against fires on radiation-hazardous lands. The study analysed the risks and threats of forest fires on radiation-hazardous lands in Ukraine. It is stated that the state of fire safety on the lands of the forest fund that have been affected by radiation is the most threatening at the present stage. Generalisations were made containing a set of necessary measures aimed primarily at strengthening the due level of interaction between the relevant services in organising forest protection from fires on radiation-hazardous lands of Ukraine in modern conditions. The practical value of this study lies in the fact that, considering the scientific theory and a set of methods of scientific cognition, it provides a thorough analysis of Ukrainian legislation and clarifies the peculiarities of legal support for the protection of Ukrainian forests from fires on radiation-hazardous lands at the present stage, which helped to determine the real state of legal regulation of the relevant area and gaps in the organisation of its application, which should actualise the improvement of law-making and law enforcement practice in the area under study. The findings of this study can be used to update the legal support for the activities of public institutions implementing the state policy in the field of forest protection on lands subjected to radioactive contamination

Keywords

legal support; wildfire; forest; radiation safety; fire safety; Chornobyl nuclear power plant; risks and threats of martial law

Suggested citation
Hulak, O., & Holiaka, D. (2024). Legal principles of forest fire protection on radiation hazardous lands of Ukraine in modern conditions. Law. Human. Environment, 15(2), 9-27. https://doi.org/10.31548/law/2.2024.09
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