The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets informed on November 8, 2022, that Ukrainian nature is another victim of Russian aggression. The war affected every component of the environment – animal and plant life, water, air, soil.
Source: The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets
The war covered about 3 million hectares of forest in Ukraine. Approximately 23,300 hectares of forests were burned, some of them were lost.
“Military actions are taking place in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. These regions are characterized by low forest coverage. Here, forests perform protective functions. Their destruction and damage will affect the climate of these regions and may lead to significant erosion processes. In particular, wind erosion and desertification may occur the south of Ukraine. This, of course, will affect agriculture,” explained the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
In addition, currently, 8 nature reserves and 10 national nature parks of Ukraine are under Russian occupation. Among them are the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (located on the territory and water area of the Kherson and partly Mykolaiv regions), the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve, the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park, the Oleshky Sands National Nature Park, and the Dzharylhak National Nature Park (Kherson region).
See also: Russian troops occupied the nature reserve Askania-Nova in the Kherson region
