Transboundary nature conservation cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of the European Union

Abstract

The experience of international cooperation in the development of transboundary nature conservation territories of Ukraine and the EU countries on the example of the Eastern Carpathians biosphere reserve was analyised in article. The characteristic of the organization and functioning national nature parks of Uzhansky, Bieschadsky and Poloniny is given. The assessment of environmental activities within these objects was conducted and it was suggested to borrow some provisions of international experience for the development in Ukrainian part of the Eastern Carpathians biosphere reserve, as well as for other transboundary nature conservation territories. It is necessary to organize scientific research work, to initiate educational and volunteer programs on natureconservation, to exchange experience of international environmental work. Important in this case will be the opening and equipment of international tourist and nature trails, a dense network of which has long existed in Europe. Problems of scientific substantiation of the expansion of existing protected territories, as well as planning new, the organization of an independent transboundary monitoring of the state of ecosystems are particularly relevant to all transboundary regions of Ukraine. For the Carpathian region the problems of control over illegal felling in the Uzhansky National Park, the observance of the environmental regime of certain massifs of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, the proliferation of the reserve regime of the Svydovets massif for the whole Basin of the Chorna Tysa river are very important. More attention should be paid to the preservation of ethnographic features of the Carpathians, the development of ecological consciousness of local inhabitants and the population of Ukraine as a whole, their responsibility for the preservation of unique national natural conditions and resources. The solution of the above problems to a large extent depends on the geographers who should participate directly in the study and planning of the development of transboundary protected areas. Only through joint efforts of international cooperation Ukraine's naturally reserved fund will become a multifunctional part of the Pan-European ecological network.