Volunteer trip to monitor the security regime of protected tracts of Brodiv district

On Saturday, January 20, 2024, a volunteer trip was organized to inspect the conservation status of the protected areas in Brodivskyy district, under the guidance of Volodymyr Yarotskyy, an expert in environmental education, research, and biodiversity conservation from the NGO ForestCom.

Assistance was provided by a family from Kharkiv, who have experience participating in nature and animal conservation projects in Kharkiv region and now in Lviv region as well. Thanks to their support, valuable video materials about the life of forest animals were collected. During the trip, the camera trap installed in the protected area in July of the previous year was checked.

We are excited to announce that impressive stories from the lives of forest animals will be featured in our mini-documentaries. We promise it will be fascinating! For now, we invite you to enjoy selected frames from the recorded material (check the photo gallery accompanying this post).

The artificial (yet sustainable) pine plantation, protected status, and absence of logging activities contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and provide a safe habitat for animals.

However, unfortunately, the protected area is a small area, and its proximity to the village, fields, and road has negative effects. During the inspection of the protected area, signs of a ground fire that spread from the fields to the forest were found. Additionally, one of the boundaries is adjacent to the cultivation site of the invasive species of red oak, which has individuals within the understory and second layer of the protected forest.

The camera trap occasionally captured unattended dogs, including hunting breeds.

Overall, the camera surveillance was set up near a den created in the slope of a large crater from World War II. The bomb did not reach the hole, only a few meters away, which the animals now use for access and hiding during their movements in the area. It is quite possible that during the war, many soldiers lost their lives in this area, and the plantations were established as a way to create "memorial forests" or "victory forests" as they are currently being created.

When a war passes through your land, we do not have the ability to influence all phenomena and processes. We cannot control the enemy's actions and prevent them from destroying us, destroying the nature of our country. But we can give nature, and the forest in particular, the opportunity to recover and help preserve life within them.

We sincerely appreciate the volunteers who provide support to our experts and join us in our nature conservation activities!

And if you also love the nature of your homeland, have the desire, time, and opportunity to participate in our volunteer campaigns/trips/actions, please fill out our VOLUNTEER FORM.

Let's embark on the next journey together!

Remember: nature gives us far more than we do for it.