20% of Ukraine’s nature reserves and 3 million hectares of forests affected by war
Twenty percent of Ukraine's nature conservation areas are suffering from the war, and 3 million hectares of forests have also been damaged due to hostilities.
Source: World Wildlife Fund Ukraine
Eight nature reserves and 10 national parks remain under Russian occupation.
In particular, 2.9 million hectares of the Emerald Network are at risk. This is a significant part of the ecological network of Europe and it is protected by the legislation of the European Union and Council of Europe.
Also, 16 conservation areas protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, with an area of almost 600,000 hectares, are under threat of destruction. These areas are of international importance as habitats for waterfowl.
For example, the "Velyki i Mali Kuchuhury Archipelago" wetland with an area of 7,740 hectares is currently freed from Russian occupation - however it remains under threat of destruction, due to its proximity to the line of contact.
"These numbers may increase, as hostilities are still ongoing in some areas, while the rest of the locations are under occupation or awaiting mine clearance," the organisation said.
WWF is also urging Ukrainians who are travelling around the country to find out ahead of time whether a location is safe to visit by consulting the website of a regional military administration.
"This way, you will take care not only of your own safety, but also of all living things in the relevant location," the WWF Ukraine said.
Reminder: an estimated number of up to 50,000 dolphins have died due to Russia deploying warships in the Black Sea.
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