UNDP in Ukraine

Ukrainian nature parks and reserves have participated in the first Festival of Protected Areas of Ukraine, entitled the ‘Parks Parade – 2010’ in Shatsk National Nature Park. The Parade's participants believe the festival would help unlock the tourism potential of these protected areas. It also raises public awareness of the problems facing the national parks in Ukraine.

Having protected areas is one of the best ways to conserve biodiversity and to protect unique ecological systems, experts say. Rare animals and plants listed in the “The Red Book” of threatened and endangered species in Ukraine and Europe can be saved only on these protected territories.

Ukraine occupies around 6 per cent of Europe’s territory, but it possesses about 35 per cent of Europe’s biodiversity. Indeed, over the past 15 years ‘The Red Book’ of Ukraine has increased its listed species by almost a third.

Human-driven activities directly endangering biodiversity (habitat change, overexploitation, and pollution) have led to environmental degradation, massive changes in ecosystems and climate change. The “Parks Parade” participants called to find a solution to actual wildlife protection problems of nature reserve funds: protected areas help to maintain ecological health of the whole country.

Today in Ukraine we have 7,607 nature reserve facilities occupying 3,3 million ha – covering 5.4% of the country’s overall territory. Among these facilities we have 38 national nature parks, 19 nature reserves and 4 biosphere reserves.

The Festival was organised by the State Agency for Protected Areas of Ukraine, a joint UNDP/GEF Project with a remit to "Strengthen governance and financial sustainability of the national protected area system in Ukraine", the All Ukrainian public organization,  The Association of Protected Areas of Ukraine, and the Shatsk National Nature Park. All participants were awarded with commemoratives from the Association of Protected Areas of Ukraine as pioneers of the “Parks Parade”.

“We are happy to organize this event at which the vast recreational potential of the Ukrainian protected territories was showcased”, said Vasyl Tolkachov, Project Coordinator of the ’Strengthening governance and financial sustainability of the national protected area system in Ukraine‘ Project. “We expect Ukrainians will learn more about capabilities for tourists in national parks and nature reserves during “Parks Parade”. The popularity of protected areas as places for green recreation will increase. Hopefully our initiative became an annual event, with the Festival touring different areas of Ukraine”.

Ukraine’s biggest protected territories joined the Festival, including Prypyat-Stokhid National Nature Park, Galytskiy National Nature Park, Vyjnitskiy National Nature Park, Ujanskiy National Nature Park, and Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. Belarusian protected areas were also represented as guests of honour at the Festival.

The Festival's guests had the chance to become familiar with features and recreational opportunities of Ukrainian protected territories. Parks and nature reserves showcased their highlights, giving exhibitions of folk life and crafts, cooking special regional meals, providing tourist information. Traditionally-dressed Carpathian guests greeted tourist with the sound of an authentic local horn called “trembita”. On the beach near the Great Black Lake people were able to join football and volleyball competitions: The beach has been recently reconstructed by grant program of the UNDP in Ukraine. Kayakers put on a competition-show for the spectators on shore of the Great Black Lake.

The Festival of Protected Areas was held for the first time in Ukraine, while in the world such Parades started from the end of the XX century when the National Parks Conservation Association held the event in USA.

Since 2007 The UN Development Programme in Ukraine and the Global Environment Facility implement a joint project "Strengthening governance and financial sustainability of the national protected area system in Ukraine".

The goal of this 4 year project is to secure long-term conservation of biodiversity within Ukraine's Nature Reserve Fund, specifically focusing on protected areas of global, national or regional significance. The project's objective is to enhance the financial sustainability and strengthen institutional capacity of the protected area (PA) system in Ukraine. The normative solution will be pursued through the systematic emplacement of targed revenue capture mechanisms to complement budgetary subventions to the PA system, and through improvements to PA governance that ensure PA revenue streams are employed efficiently so that impact is optimized per unit of investment.

The Project operates within 3 pilot territories: Shatsk National Nature Park, National Nature Park “Pripyat-Stokhid” and Regional Landscape Park “Pripyat-Stokhid”. Read more information at  www.pzf.org.ua

For more information, please, contact Olena Semenova, Communications Expert, olena.semenova@undp.org.ua

The All Ukrainian public organization 'Association of protected areas of Ukraine' (Association) is the national public organization created for support of Ukrainian protected areas, consolidate protected areas in uniform system, and raise the level of natural reserve fund management and the level of nation’s ecological education on the basis of use of intellectual potential and material means, contribute the realization of All European Strategy of Biological and Landscape Biodiversity Protection and the Statewide Program for the Formation of Ukraine’s National Ecological Network for 2000-2015 approved by the Law of Ukraine No. 1989-III of 21.09.2000.

The United Nations proclaimed 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity, and people all over the world are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss. This is vital for current and future human wellbeing. The International Year of Biodiversity is a unique opportunity to increase understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth. Ukraine joined over 100 countries celebrating this Year by conducting various public education campaigns.

This diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms. Scientists reckon that there are actually about 13 million species, though estimates range from three to 100 million. Protecting biodiversity is in our self-interest. Biological resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations. Nature's products support such diverse industries as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment. The loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.