"Forests of Ukraine" agreed to transfer almost 13,000 hectares of land for the creation of the "Black Forest" national park in the Kirovohrad region. This first national nature park in the region will protect unique broadleaf forests.
This was reported by the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine.
The protected area will include more than 10,000 hectares of land currently part of the Chornolisky Forestry, as well as more than 2,500 hectares from Onikyivsky Forestry. These areas will be removed from the permanent use of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine."
"I am confident that the creation of a national park will help to effectively protect and develop these areas. Kirovohrad region deserves to have a national nature park," said Viktor Smal, head of the State Forestry Agency.
"Black Forest" will be a picturesque broadleaf forest. The Chornolisky and Chutivsky forests attracted the attention of scientists as early as the beginning of the 20th century. They are located on the southern edge of the forest zone and are among the largest in Eastern Europe. Efforts to protect them from human interference began as early as 1926, when scientists first justified the need for protection. However, turbulent historical events prevented the creation of a nature reserve.
Source: forest.gov.ua
Work resumed almost 100 years later when environmental activists from the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group prepared scientifically substantiated materials for the Kirovohrad Regional Administration. In turn, the Regional Administration appealed to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, which approved the creation of a new national park in Ukraine.
The creation of the protected area was preceded by consultations with the scientific community, field meetings, and discussions on determining the boundaries of the sites. Even earlier, activists fought to protect these unique forests, which was no easy task.
“The idea of creating a national park is categorically rejected by Kirovohrad foresters, even though the region lags far behind in terms of protected area. The Chornyi Lis nature reserve, which currently covers 3,491 hectares, does not sufficiently safeguard the forest tract. Moreover, unjustified selective sanitary logging is carried out almost uncontrollably within the reserve,” wrote UNCG back in 2021.
However, there are now objective developments, and the creation of a national park is getting closer.
EcoPolitic reported that communities in the Kirovohrad region had previously agreed to create two botanical nature reserves.
Thanks to activists in the Rivne region, local floodplains will be protected by creating a nature reserve.
