KYIV. April 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Environmental specialists are alarmed with cutting of forests in nature reserves of Ukraine and call on local councils to approve the introduction of moratoriums on cutting of forests in the nature reserves of their regions.

"We hope that these decisions will be made at the level of all regional councils in Ukraine. It is extremely important for preserving forests in the nature reserves. This is the way of quick reaction… Regional councils can help to settle this issue," lawyer of EcoPravo-Kyiv NGO Halyna Levina said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday in Kyiv.

Levina said that the chance of Ukrainian legislation to protect forests is long, while the introduction of moratoriums on cutting of forest in the nature reserves at the local level could save them.

She said that 10 local councils, including eight regional councils approved the imposing of moratoriums on cutting of forests in the nature reserves.

Director of Kyiv Ecological and Cultural Center Volodymyr Boreiko said that protection of forests is becoming a national problem.

"Only Kyiv region has around 60 reserves. Our study shows that each second nature reserve in Kyiv region is turned into a timber mill or a landfill or 'grand imperial hunting,'" Boreiko said.

He said that under Ukrainian law sanitation salvage cutting in the nature reserves are banned, as well as hunting, but in fact no one supervises these issues and both cutting and hunting are seen.

He said that forest specialists justify cutting of forests in the nature reserves that not all sanitation cutting is banned. He said that this situation appears due to the fact that not all bylaws regulating the issue are brought in line with the law.