Ukrainian Polissya Ecologically Valuable Sites have Been Burned Because of Dry Spring Season

18 May 2009

In general, several thousand hectares of valuable land were burned as a result of wildfires in Ukrainian Polissya (Lviv, Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr regions) during the last weeks.

The fires have had a harmful effect on the IBA 009 “Polisskiy Nature Reserve” in the north of Ukraine. High-intensity fire has burned down 550 ha of that IBA, seriously destroying critical wildlife habitats, including breeding grounds of Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa, Crane Grus grus, Black Stork Ciconia nigra, Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus and Black Grouse Lyrurus tetrix. Polisya Nature Reserve supports nearly 125 breeding bird species. Animals and especially birds have managed to flee the burning forest, experts said. However their nests and clutches have been completely destroyed as it has happened with a 20-years old nest of Black Stork. Amount of carbon released in atmosphere as a result of these fires should be estimated. Moreover, taking into account that the areas were polluted after Chornobyl disaster in April 1986, there is a high risk of reallocation of radioactive elements by air currents.

Due to extremely dry weather in April, there was very high level of fire threat remained allover Ukraine. The fire in Polisskiy Nature Reserve erupted on 29th of April 2009 as a result of several fire outbreaks on a neighboring abandoned peatland. This natural in the past peatland was drained and used as a farmland during a long time, however now it is abandoned and puts local wildlife under a great fire threat. Peatland fires are considered as the most difficult for control as it smoulder fires can burn undetected for a very long period of time.

“This type of lands should obviously be restored through flooding as they endanger wildlife and their fire management costs a lot of money every year,” said Serhiy Zhyla, director of Polisya Nature Reserve.

Crown fire has rapidly spread through the forest and its intensity has been kept by powerful wind and high air temperature. After five hours the fire was put out by 25 fire brigades. It was the biggest fire over all history of the reserve. The more intensive fires have occurred on neighboring lands in Belarus.

The serious risk of fires still remains in the reserves because there are many fire outbreaks in underground peat layer that burn down roots of plants and resulted in tree downfall. “We have seen that current national fire protection system is not able to control large-scale crown fires in forest. However, this kind of fires not only affects wildlife but endangers human life,” finalized Serhiy Zhyla.

About IBA Programme

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme of BirdLife International is a worldwide initiative aimed at identifying and protecting a network of critical sites for the conservation of the world’s birds. The European IBA Programme is the longest running of a number of regional IBA programmes and for the last decade has addressed site-oriented research and action, encompassing habitat management, monitoring, education, advocacy, and national and international legal protection.

Contacts:

Zoryana Lukyanchuk
Head of Development Department
Tel: + 380 44 284 7131
Email: uspb@birdlife.org.ua

Olga Yaremchenko
Biodiversity expert
Tel: + 380 44 284 7131
Email: conservation@birdlife.org.ua