The main function of Ukraine’s reserves and national parks is the conservation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity – the preservation of life. Since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, people forced to flee from areas with intense active hostilities have found refuge in protected areas.

Employees of national parks and reserves are continuing to work diligently and support people who have been forced to move to these safer places. This spring, they will organize educational tours, workshops, and eco-quests. These will give people, who have to stay away from their homes temporarily, the opportunity to see, and feel, the beauty of nature in other regions and learn about the diversity of their homeland.

Separately, staff of protected area environmental education departments are providing classes for children. In the form of various games and activities, they study the plants and animals together and discuss the need to preserve nature. At this difficult time, children need special attention.

Materials for various activities have been developed by the employees of protected areas or are based on existing resources. For example:

• Handbook “How to create an eco-trail and run a nature school”
• Board games and materials on ecological education published by the Ukrainian ecological club “Green Wave”

We thank the staff of Ukraine’s reserves and national parks for their dedicated work and the support they are providing to people in this terrible time of war.

While the world takes steps to conserve rare and vulnerable species, European biodiversity is a casualty of the war in Ukraine. Today Russian army vehicles have driven over and destroyed large numbers of spring meadow saffron (Bulbocodium versicolor) in Velykyi Luh National Nature Park in south-east Ukraine. Included in the Red Book of Ukraine (the list of rare and threatened species) it is protected at national level.

Protecting rare spring flowers is one of the largest environmental campaigns in Ukraine each year. Many environmental organisations carry out scientific studies and conservation actions to preserve the colourful diversity of spring flowers, which carpet Ukraine’s forests, steppes and meadows.

Situated on the south bank of the Dnipro River’s Kakhovka Reservoir, Velykyi Luh National Nature Park (in English, Great Meadow National Nature Park) is historic steppe (grassland plain). Here, the spring meadow saffron (Bulbocodium versicolor) grows in open steppe areas, steppe slopes and sparse forest plantations, with the largest population at Mayachanska Balka.

Over the last 16 years the park has worked hard to protect, conserve and restore bulbocodium versicolor and as a result the area in which it grew expanded to two hectares. In an instant, the damage by the wheels of Russian vehicles has undone all these years of dedicated work. It will be impossible to recover the damage to the population of this rare plant quickly. It will take decades again.

We thank our conservationists for looking after our protected areas and caring for Ukraine’s natural resources.

People stand behind every event and victory –  Ukrainians with brave and open hearts, faith in their country, and everyone with their story. The war was a test for everyone. A test for courage and steadfastness, commitment and level of love for their homeland and, of course, humanity. We began to collect real stories of Ukrainians, which best reveal each of these elements. We believe that the world should know them.

Today is the story of a family who found a shelter in one of the Carpathian national parks. Mrs. Kateryna shared it with us:

“Our family is from Kyiv. We lived in Obolon district. But the morning of February 24 changed everything. The day before, as usual, I took my son to kindergarten and went to work myself. In the evening, my family and I traditionally had dinner and discussed how the day went. We went to bed calmly, knowing that we would wake up in the morning and the daily routine would go on .

The morning of the 24th, probably, no one will forget. My husband woke me up with the words “Wake up, the war has begun.” It was hard to believe. He continued, “Listen, explosions. Putni attacked Ukraine. ” And I heard them. It was really scary.

Our five-year-old son was asleep, and my husband and I were thinking about what to do. We needed to collect things. We were not ready for war. I couldn’t think what to take. But I knew that documents, medicines and things for the child were necessary.

The sirens began. The first one was around 7 am. People woke up, opened their phones, turned on their TVs and understood there was shelling indeed. Everyone began to gather chaotically, get in cars and just leave the city. Most of our friends did so. They were sure it was safer there.

On the first day we did not go anywhere. Because Kyiv has become a huge traffic jam. We could not go for the night because it was difficult with the child and the curfew did not allow it. In the evening we went to the bomb shelter in the neighbouring buiding. It’s scary and cold there. The children were crying because they did not understand why they should go there. Everyone sat on what he took with him. Someone on a chair, someone on a blanket, and someone on a concrete floor. In the morning the shelling took place in the Kyiv region, partly in the Obolon district. We lived next to the road that goes to Vyshgorod. Russian troops followed this path.

At 7 am my family and I went to the west of Ukraine. We were looking for different options, acquaintances advised shelter in the national park in the Carpathians. In my opinion, now it is the safest place, although there are sirens, but planes do not fly and children do not cry. Now my child is calm, can sleep, does not say it’s scary. This is the greatest happiness for parents. There are very good people here. We were given warm clothes, hygiene products, and food. 

We are not going abroad, we want to go home. Our home is Ukraine. I am sure we will live here. As soon as the state leadership says that it is safe to go home, we will return.

We are thankful to the park staff for their dedicated work, protection of their homeland and help for those who need it.