NASU: Ukraine has lost over 272,000 hectares of protected marine areas due to war

As a result of Russia's aggression, Ukraine has lost control over more than 272,000 hectares of protected marine waters.

According to the press service of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), this was stated in a report by Viktor Demchenko, Doctor of Biological Sciences and Deputy Director of the NASU's Institute of Marine Biology, Ukrinform reports.

"As a result of Russian aggression, Ukraine has lost control over more than 272,000 hectares of protected marine waters along the Crimean coast and in the Sea of Azov basin. All marine protected areas along the Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea coastline, with a total area of about 460,000 hectares, are currently in zones of active military impact. In addition, 27 Emerald Network sites have been occupied and another 11 are in combat zones; among wetlands of international importance, ten have been occupied and seven remain affected by hostilities," the statement said.

According to the NASU, Ukraine remains one of the leaders among Black Sea countries in terms of the area of marine protected territories. The most valuable of these are in the northwestern Black Sea: the Dzharylhach National Nature Park, the Kinburn Spit, Biloberezhzhia Sviatoslava National Nature Park, and Zernov's Phyllophora Field – the country's largest marine protected area.

According to scientists, the war has led to changes in protection regimes, uncontrolled use of resources, and pollution of marine waters. The greatest losses were suffered by the Zmiinyi Island nature reserve. In the Danube Biosphere Reserve, oil pollution and sunken vessels are recorded regularly; a single fire following a UAV attack on January 2 alone caused an estimated UAH 130 billion in damage, according to environmental inspectors.

Before the war, researchers had recorded the restoration of natural processes and improvements in the ecological status of the waters of Zernov's Phyllophora Field (northwestern Black Sea), which is a center of high biodiversity and long-term monitoring by the Institute. However, the NASU emphasizes that wartime factors, including secondary pollution and reduced monitoring capacity, pose risks of deterioration and will require separate assessment after hostilities end.

At the same time, researchers have noted unexpected ecological changes: restricted access to the sea has reduced human pressure and contributed to the recovery of sturgeon populations, which are again being recorded even near Zaporizhzhia and Khortytsia.

Scientists stress that after the war Ukraine will need an updated Marine Nature Conservation Strategy, new ecosystem restoration programs, and a modern system for assessing environmental damage, parts of which have not been revised since 1986.