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BSP's Eastern Europe Program Promoting Biodiversity Conservation in Ukraine Introduction With support from the USAID Mission in Kyiv, BSP initiated a project in Ukraine in October 1995, which consisted of two principal components: 1) a nationally-focused Conservation Initiatives Grants Program and 2) a regionally-focused Crimean Conservation Needs Assessment to set geographic and thematic priorities for conserving the Crimean Peninsula's biodiversity. Local Ukrainian advisory groups were selected to support these activities. Both components were also designed within the context of Ukraine's transition from republic of the former Soviet Union to becoming a new, independent nation. Ukraine is in the midst of enormous societal change: moving into a free market economy and converting to democratic institutions. Most of Ukraine's 52 million citizens still face severe economic hardships as the country continues the transition to a decentralized market economy. Since its 1991 independence from the former Soviet Union, Ukraine's scientific community and emerging nonprofit sector have been especially hard hit by decreases in traditional funding sources. Both public and private support for nonprofits are scarce, and budgetary problems have depleted state funding for environmental protection. As a result, highly trained Ukrainian scientists are left with little or no research support and often no salaried support for months at a time. These considerations provided the motivation for a small grants program directed to scientists and individuals from NGOs. Meanwhile, Ukraine's natural resource base may be transformed by broader societal changes as well. At both local and national levels, government agencies are considering privatization of natural resources as state enterprises are de-nationalized. This context provides an opportune and cost-effective time to examine critical biodiversity resources for potential set aside for future generations. These considerations were the motivation for identifying and assessing the unique biodiversity resources of the Crimean Peninsula.
Conservation Initiatives Grants Program
Grant support to individuals and organizations
for applied conservation activities. BSP's Conservation Initiatives Grants Program provided year-long funding (1997-1998) to help Ukrainian scientists and NGO activists bring needed attention to biodiversity issues. Twenty grants, ranging from US$275 to $4,800, were provided to support the applied research initiatives of individuals and organizations involved in in situ conservation within existing and potential protected areas of Ukraine. In 1998 and 1999, three of the most successful projects received additional support to enhance their results and long-term impact. Noteworthy Examples of Conservation Impact In Ukraine's Carpathian region, a grant was awarded to support the leadership of the nongovernmental society "Karpats'ka Shkola" ("Carpathian School"), joint efforts of several scientific institutions and regional environmental bodies, and activities of local communities. This support led to the creation of a long-awaited protected area along the Ukrainian border that complements adjoining protected areas in Poland and Slovakia. Known as Nadsyanskii Regional Landscape Park, this area is an important component of Europe's only multilateral international biosphere reserve in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. In cooperation with a range of stakeholders, the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds raised public awareness and brought high visibility to a previously under-appreciated but unique biodiversity site in the northern Black Sea: Dzharylgach Island and Bay. This work resulted in the closure of unregulated public hunting and consideration of the area as a potential protected area. BSP-supported research and outreach activites led to the creation of a regional landscape park and broad momentum was built for the creation of a national park. A letter signed by nearly 900 local citizens was circulated to officials in support of protected area status. The project also contributed to Dzharylgach becoming a focal point of interest for a World Bank-supported project on the Black Sea-Azov Sea ecological corridor. A research effort undertaken by the Uman subquarter of the Kyiv Ecology-Cultural Center, an NGO in the city of Uman, led to the successful re-introduction of a locally extinct fish species into the Kremenchug water reservoir. Ukraine's fishery authorities have expressed strong interest in this project's artificial cultivation methods and are considering adopting the methods for industrial fisheries efforts. With BSP support to finalize the results of pertinent research and to prepare necessary legal documents, the boundaries of the Medobory Nature Reserve in Ternopolskii Region were expanded to include additional areas of steppe grassland containing unique biodiversity previously threatened by unregulated livestock grazing. The Odessa Socio-Ecological Union led an initiative to prepare a feasibility study for rehabilitating important wetlands in the Karagol Gulf ecosystem in the Dnister River delta. The study focused on developing a methodology for renewing water exchange between the gulf and wetlands to restore and preserve important fisheries and bird habitat. BSP-supported efforts (articles published in regional newspapers, meetings with local residents, and collection of signatures protesting the construction of fishery ponds) have contributed to broader public support for the Karagol Wetlands as a fully functioning, biologically diverse ecosystem. The Interagency Laboratory for the Scientific Basis for Nature Conservation, a joint body of the National Academy of Science and the Ministry of Ukraine for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, developed a plan to create a network for scientific and management exchange between specially protected areas within Ukraine and areas near the borders of adjacent countries. Building Capacity by Raising Visibility Beyond funding a number of other projects focused on practical efforts in biodiversity conservation, BSP's grants program also provided support for two periodicals: a news bulletin on biodiversity conservation and a scientific journal, Nature Conservation in Ukraine (Zapovidna sprava v Ukraini), which received immediate and favorable recognition among Ukrainian scientists and government agencies. More than ten books and journals, some of which created immediate interest in Ukraine and throughout the Western European conservation community, were published as a direct outcome of the BSP-supported grants program. In addition, project implementors published numerous articles on the results of work supported by BSP grants. Thanks to the visibility that BSP helped to provide, some projects were featured in international conservation publications. A number of grantees, encouraged by the results and inspired by the recognition of their work, have subsequently completed advanced scientific degrees. Democracy Building through a Transparent Process Beyond its direct conservation impact, the Conservation Initiatives Grants program profoundly influenced Ukrainian participants by demonstrating the strength and value of democratic processes and approaches, as follows:
Role of the Advisory Panel Close collaboration with a carefully selected advisory panel of Ukrainian experts has been particularly fruitful. Created by BSP, the panel was established to advise BSP, from the initial process of selecting grantees, through project implementation, to a round table discussion of the results of grant recipients' work. The panel included seven well-known conservation specialists from various geographical areas of Ukraine, representing governmental structures, the scientific community, and NGOs. Their knowledge and moral authority contributed greatly to the overall success of the grants program. Advisory panel members and grantees alike have appreciated the potential long-term benefits of the cross-sectoral working relationships and interactions that BSP promoted through this process. During the round table discussion held in March 1998, grantees and their advisors suggested that BSP's Grants Program be considered a model for other international assistance programs. Voice of America aired a 30-minute program in Ukraine devoted to the Grants Program, which included interviews with grantees and advisory panel experts. Advisory Panel Members, Their Expertise, and Contact Information Tatyana L. Andrienko, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Chairwoman of Interagency Laboratory of Scientific Bases of Nature Conservation (a joint body of National Academy of Science and Ministry of Ukraine for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, located in Kyiv). Contact: Ukraine 252001, GSP, Kyiv, Insitute of Botany, Tereshchenkivska 2; tel/fax: 38-044-212-32-20 & 293-76-32; e-mail: postmaster@ligazap.kiev.ua Oleksandr S. Bogachov, Senior Specialist of Ecological Safety and Protection of Population Department of the Cabinet of Ministries of Ukraine (currently, Chief of the Unit for Nature Protection, Ecological Safety, and Use of Natural Resources of the Cabinet of Ministries). Contact: Ukraine 293008, Kyiv, vul. Hrushevskogo 12/2, Cabinet of Ministries of Ukraine; tel: 38-044-293-1651 Prof. Raisa I. Burda, Chairwoman of Flora Department of Donetsk Botanical Garden (Donetsk). Contact: Ukraine 340003, Donetsk-3, POB 5437; tel: 38-0622-941-280 & 941-190; e-mail: bot@hort.uvica.donetsk Vira P. Davydok, Senior Specialist of International Relations Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine (currently, Chief of the Department of Biological Resources). Contact: Ukraine 252001, Kyiv -1, vul. Khreshchatyk 5, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine; tel: 38-044-224-2239 & 224-2404; e-mail: davydok@land.freenet.kiev.ua Vitaliy M. Grishchenko, Ph.D, Vice President of Ornithological Society of Ukraine (NGO); Deputy Director of the Kaniv Nature Reserve (Kaniv, Cherkasika area). Contact: Ukraine 258300, Kaniv, Kaniv Nature Reserve; tel: 38-04636-245-31 & 229-91; e-mail: vitaly@aquila.freenet.kiev.ua Prof. Vasil I. Komendar, Chairman of Botany Department at Uzhgorod State University (Uzhgorod). Contact: Ukraine 294000, Uzhgorod, vul. Vusoka 10, apt. 16; tel: 38-03122-323-54 Ivan T. Rusev, Ph.D, President of the nongovernmental organization, Natural Heritage Fund (Odessa). Contact: Ukraine 270053, Odessa, vul. Geroev Stalingrada 30, apt 26; tel/fax: 38-0482-52-28-05; e-mail: wildlife@paco.odessa.ua Conservation Needs Assessment for Crimea
Using participatory processes to establish priorities for
protecting biodiversity in the Crimean Peninsula. Crimea, a large peninsula off the southern coast of Ukraine jutting into the Black Sea, comprises steppe grasslands, mixed steppe and forests belts, and forested mountains with unique high-mountain meadow areas. The peninsula's flora and fauna reflect a mix of temperate and boreal species with Mediterranean influence along the coast. High endemism, particularly of vegetation, and strategic location on the bird migratory corridors between Central Asia and Africa, make Crimea an important priority for biodiversity conservation. The Conservation Needs Assessment Workshop, sometimes referred to as the Gurzuf Workshop, sought to facilitate an open and transparent discussion among relevant stakeholders in Crimean and central government agencies, scientific institutions, and NGOs about the status of, threats facing, and actions needed to conserve Crimea's biodiversity. After a year and a half of preparatory work, more than 100 representatives of those institutions met in November 1997 in Gurzuf, Crimea. In addition to invited participants, many other people were able to participate as a result of the Gurzuf Workshop accessibility to the public, with daily transport provided to the nearby capital city of Simferopol. The Gurzuf Workshop focused on setting (1) geographic priorities to identify where conservation activity should be undertaken and (2) thematic priorities to determine what conservation actions should be taken. At the conclusion of the workshop, a Ukrainian working group was formed to compile proceedings and follow-up recommendations. BSP and the working group subsequently produced a book entitled Priority-setting in Conservation: A New Approach for Crimea, which documents the findings and results of the Gurzuf Workshop. The dual-language book (Russian/English) includes a series of GIS-based maps of the Crimean peninsula that identify consensus priority areas for in-situ biodiversity conservation in Crimea and form the basis for planning efforts, conservation activities, and research priorities for the future. Representative Results
Formation of a New NGO The Association for Promoting Biological and Habitat Diversity in Crimea was formed independently by participants of the Gurzuf Workshop during the last year of BSP's involvement in Crimea to promote the results and findings of the Crimean Conservation Needs Assesment. Comprising 14 individual NGOs, the association dedicated itself to promoting action based on the findings of the Gurzuf Workshop in a manner consistent with BSP's style of operation, which stressed broad participation, open and transparent deliberations, and multi-disciplinary involvement. With a follow-on grant awarded by BSP, the association conducted detailed reconnaissance of all fifty priority sites identified in the assessment. Small teams of association members met with local communities in the vicinity of priority sites, where they explained the process and findings of the priority setting exercise. Copies of the final publication were presented for inclusion in the local library. Local leaders, government officials, and community members were encouraged to ask questions and share their views, as well as learn about the significance of their local natural area and the rationale behind its selection as a priority site. Sites were surveyed and mapped, local threats to biodiversity identified, and potential follow-up assessed. In most cases, community meetings were covered by local and regional news media. From the BSP Library Biodiversity Support Program. 1999. Priority-setting in conservation. A new approach for Crimea (in English and Russian, with summaries in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar). Washington, D.C.: Biodiversity Support Program (pub no. 47). Biodiversity in Crimea: Assessment and needs for
conservation (in Russian or Ukrainian). 1997.
Working papers presented at an international workshop
(November 1997, Gurzuf). Simferopol, Crimea:
Biodiversity Support Program.
Association for Promoting Biological and Habitat Diversity in Crimea - "Gurzuf-97" USAID Mission in Kyiv, Ukraine WRI, Regional Resources: Europe and Russia USAID, E&E Bureau, Environment and Natural Resources Division |
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