In addition to direct work to preserve and support Ukraine’s unique wildlife in the face of war, climate change, anthropogenic pressure, and constant underfunding, nature conservation sites often face misunderstanding from local communities and authorities.
How can these conflicts be reduced and more allies found, both among the public and in government?
Only by explaining the value of nature, talking about the value of ecosystem services and the benefits that local communities receive for free due to living near wildlife areas.
And also by implementing nature-oriented solutions – actions aimed at supporting or restoring ecosystems that will have a positive impact on human well-being and preserving biodiversity. Such as restoring bogs, which can stop fires in drained peatlands, fill dry wells, and contribute to the natural purification of polluted water.
And for the arguments of environmentalists to be sufficiently convincing, one must learn to see, calculate, and convincingly talk about ecosystem services, the benefits of nature, and the benefits of nature-based solutions.
This is exactly what we learned to do more effectively at Module 2 of the training seminar organized by the NGO “Danube-Carpathian Program” within the framework of the project “Benefits of Nature: From Theory to Practice” with the support of Erasmus+ in cooperation with Yavoriv National Park and Roztochchya Nature Reserve and in partnership with: Natuurpunt Beheer (Netherlands), STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH (Netherlands), EUROSITE (Netherlands), Stichting IVN (Netherlands), Vereniging Natuurmonumenten ((Netherlands), Geonatura d.o.o. za strucne poslove zastite prirode (Croatia), Stichting voor Duurzame ontwikkeling (Netherlands), DOGA KORUMA MERKEZI VAKFI (Turkey), Natuurpunt CVN (Belgium).
We thank the participants of the training seminar for your active participation, interest in the topic, for sharing your experience, and for your daily work to preserve the wildlife of Ukraine.
We thank the defenders, for your titanic daily work, which allows us to live in our homes, stay with our families, and protect the wildlife of Ukraine for future generations.
