Meotyda National Nature Park

Donetsk region

About park

Gentle water of the Sea of Azov, healing air, picturesque scenery that inspired ancient Greeks and Romans, Huns and Khazars. In addition, numerous cultural and archeological sites, Scythian burial mounds and kurgan stelae. Meotyda National Nature Park is a magnificent nature corner preserved in the industrial Donbas. Maeotis (meaning “nurse”) – this is how the ancient Greeks called the Sea of Azov. The park protects unique nature complexes of the Sea of Azov coast as well as Kryva and Bilosarayska spits. Here grow rare plants including sea-lavender (Limonium), sea kale (Crambe maritime) and small pasque flower (Pulsatilla pratensis).

The park is inhabited by 114 rare animals, but the greatest highlight is bird diversity. This is the only place in Europe where the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) nests. Dozens of thousands of Sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis), common terns (Sterna hirundo) and little terns (Sternula albifrons) as well as European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and Pallas’s gulls (Larus ichthyaetus) build their nests on several hectares of a shell beach, washed by the Sea of Azov on almost four sides. Generally, it is possible to see over 250 bird species in the Meotyda Park including the rare pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) which has become a symbol of the Meotyda National Nature Park.