Polesia

In the central part of Polesia, a protected area network covering a total of 1 million ha exists, although many of the landscape’s most valuable areas for nature remain unprotected. Within this network, there are three national parks and several nature reserves and sanctuaries. Four strict nature reserves, all in the Ukrainian part of Polesia, prohibit all economic activities within their boundaries; usage of these areas is limited to scientific research and monitoring, and educational activities. Additionally, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone established after the nuclear disaster in 1986, in both Ukraine and Belarus, is largely uninhabited and now provides a refuge for many species, in particular large mammals like moose, lynx, wolves, and bears.

FZS and partners protect biodiversity and re-establish connectivity between habitats for migrating wildlife in Polesia. This is achieved through the establishment of new protected areas or through the enlargement of existing ones, on 100,000 ha of currently unprotected wilderness. These efforts bore fruit with the creation of the 25,000 ha Nobelskiy National Nature Park in Ukraine in 2019, and a 10,000 ha expansion of the Almany Mires Reserve in Belarus in 2021. Almany now spans 104,000 ha (roughly the size of Hong Kong) – securing Europe’s largest intact transition mire.

FZS and partners are currently conducting preparatory work for restoration of wetlands that were drained throughout the past century. This drainage led to the destruction of unique habitats, like mires and marshes, which are some of the rarest in the lowland European landscape. In their natural state, mires are one of the planet’s best forms of long-term carbon storage. Through restoring these wetlands we also restore the hydrological and ecological functioning of these habitats. In particular, by rewetting mires, their ability to function as a carbon sink returns, helping to mitigate climate change.

FZS and partners identify High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF) in the core area of Polesia. Using species distribution modeling, we also identify priority areas and gaps in the ecological network that could provide corridors between protected areas. We conduct surveys of birds, bats, butterflies, fish, and dragonflies in different seasons to document and model the size and composition of these groups. The data collected will be used in the future to support the expansion of protected areas. We also monitor species like moose, wolf, and lynx that migrate through the vast lands of Polesia. For this, the extensive use of camera traps provides data on wildlife population sizes and connectivity, which can be used to guide, compare and assess conservation actions.

Many of the protected areas in Polesia have outdated management plans, and lack equipment and capacity. FZS and partners improve protected area management and support further development of the areas, by drafting or reviewing existing protected area management plans. We provide management equipment like computers, ranger uniforms, boats, and motorbikes as well as monitoring equipment like camera traps and water monitoring tools to new and expanded protected areas. We build the capacity of protected area staff and local decision-makers through broader information, training, and capacity-building program.

Governments want to create a 2,000 km long navigable waterway connecting the Black Sea and the Baltic, that would cut through the heart of the region. Constructing the so-called ‘E40’ waterway would require dredging, damming, straightening, and deepening of pristine rivers. This would lead to the destruction of enormous floodplains and wetlands, home to rare animals and plants, including eagles, bison, bears, wolves, and lynx. The project would destroy the social fabric of local communities. It could also contaminate human water supplies with hazardous radiation.

FZS is a partner of the international coalition ‘Save Polesia’, which aims to prevent the planned construction of the ‘E40 waterway’. We encourage national governments to boost local and regional economies through investing in existing rail infrastructure and using the huge potential for nature-based tourism in Polesia.