During the period from 2014 to the end of 2023, 1,214 hectares of forest cover in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine were destroyed by fires and other reasons.
Such data lead in their research, experts from the public organization "Forest Initiatives and Society".
They analyzed the Global Forest Watch maps, which contain information on forest cover loss and reforestation from 2001 to 2023. The researchers found that 564 hectares of the 1,214 hectares were lost due to fires, and 650 hectares due to other causes.
Experts determined the most significant losses from fires in 2021 – 192 hectares . This is almost 50% of all tree cover losses in Ukraine this year.
Source: forestcom.org.ua.
If we talk about the territories temporarily occupied after a full-scale invasion, the loss of forest cover on them, according to GO specialists, amounts to:
- for 2022 – 4,220 hectares (according to the limits as of May 1, 2023);
- for 2023 – 9030 ha.
Temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as of May 1, 2023 (gray background – from 2014, transparent – from February 24, 2022). Forest cover losses as of the end of 2022 are marked in red. Source: forestcom.org.ua.
Liberated occupied territories as of May 1, 2023. Forest cover losses as of the end of 2022 are marked in red. Source: forestcom.org.ua.
"The obtained results indicate significant losses of forest resources in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as a result of military operations and fires. This emphasizes the need to strengthen measures to protect and restore forests in these regions after deoccupation," said the NGO "Forest Initiatives and Society".
Earlier, EcoPolitic talked about the factors that significantly worsen the situation with forest cutting in Ukraine, including named and the destruction of forests in the territories of hostilities and illegal logging in nature conservation territories occupied by Russia.
