Attachments
Overview
With the war in Ukraine still ongoing, many details of the already widespread damage to its natural environment remain unknown. Nevertheless, both the overall planning for environmental restoration and faster action in areas where it is possible can and should go ahead. Ideally, restoration would aim to return Ukraine’s environment to its pre-war condition. However, it is painfully clear that some of the damage cannot be reversed within a foreseeable time or resource frame, if ever. On the other hand questions are emerging as to whether there may be opportunities to improve on, rather than merely restore, the pre-war environment. Both immediate and longer-term restoration actions will require strong coordination among various domestic and international actors as well as clear and inclusive priorities.
1. The state of nature in Ukraine prior to 2022
Historically, land and nature have been among Ukraine’s most important and best-known assets. Fertile chernozem (black earth) soil occupies two thirds of Ukraine’s territory and dominates its cultivated land. Consequently, Ukraine’s agriculture is of global importance, traditionally supplying a significant share of the international market for commodities such as sunflower oil, wheat and corn. At the same time, in part due to intensive agricultural practices, ineffective land-improvement techniques, and the harsh climate in some areas of the country, a considerable proportion of Ukraine’s land has long suffered from pollution, erosion, waterlogging and drought.
Ukraine is home to 35% of European biodiversity and one in three species under protection in Europe. Ukraine’s wetlands provide habitats for migratory species of European and global significance. Prior to February 2022, protected areas covered almost 7% of Ukraine, with plans drawn up to add new sites as part of the European Emerald Network. Forests account for only 16% of Ukraine’s territory, but are a vital economic, environmental and recreational resource. Forest shelter belts protect agricultural land from erosion in the drought-prone south.
Ukraine’s freshwater resources are close to that of an average European country. However, due to industrial, agricultural and municipal pollution, the condition of Ukraine’s rivers, lakes and groundwater as well as the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea has long been of concern. There have also been major hydromorphic changes to water bodies, for instance through the construction of multiple dams and reservoirs on the Dnipro and the Dniester rivers. While they generate electricity, supply water, ensure navigation and mitigate floods, such structures have disrupted the natural hydrological regime and self-purification of the affected rivers.
The war in Donbas, which started in 2014 following the Russian annexation of Crimea, significantly affected the region’s natural resources, biodiversity and protected areas.