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Protecting nature together: Uzhhorod brings together environmentalists from Polissia and the Carpathians

January 2025

On January 17, at the initiative of the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the event “Evening of Good Stories. The Power of Synergy” took place in Uzhhorod.

The event was attended by representatives of 14 protected areas of the Carpathians and 7 territories of the Polissia region. The event was also attended by representatives of the Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi Regional Administrations, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Skole City Council, and public activists.

The leitmotif and main theme of this year’s event was the power of synergy and its demonstration through daily work in various areas of nature protection. Stephen Wright, the leader of the Ukrainian Carpathians program of the Frankfurt Zoological Society, said in his welcoming speech:

“None of the ideas that the Frankfurt Zoological Society has implemented in Ukraine over the past year could have been realized without the support of partners and friends. Without daily work side by side with protected areas. Without high-quality and trustful cooperation with contractors. Without understanding the common goal with the communities. Therefore, we are grateful for the cooperation and synergy that allowed us to take many necessary steps to preserve the unique nature of the Carpathians and Polissia in 2024.”

Olha Yukhymchuk, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for European Integration, Roman Sarai, Head of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, and Yuliia Ovchynnykova, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, also joined the greetings.

This year, the organizers focused on good stories of cooperation: PAs with architects, local authorities and communities, and the Ministry of Ecology, as well as on the interaction of partner funds in the interests of the PAs.

A common vision and effective cooperation with an architectural firm can help implement interesting modern projects in the field of environmental education: open-air eco-education centers in three Carpathian institutions are already under development;

a constructive dialogue between the park and the local community lays the groundwork for the restoration of a unique architectural monument of local significance – the Gredl Palace in the Skole Beskydy National Park;

the Ministry of Ecology’s assistance to institutions in working on management plans helps to accelerate the implementation of new documents that define the PAs’ development strategy;

shared values and knowledge exchange between partners help restore important sites in Polissia.

Even during the event, it was clear that there are even more examples of fruitful partnerships, and their number will grow, in particular by finding opportunities and like-minded people to implement new environmental initiatives.

In January 2024, conservationists gathered in Lviv to listen to good stories about the preservation of the Carpathians.