Black Sea Biosphere Reserve

April 15, 2022

The Black Sea Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve that is located in Ukraine’s littoral zone or nearshore of the coast of the northern Black Sea. It covers the region of the Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts and also includes the Yahorlyk Bay and the Gulf of Tendra.

Overview:

This reserve is part of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences.
On 14^th July 1927, the biosphere was established as part of the Trans-Maritime Preserve.
In the year 1933 the preserve became an independent research institution.
In the year 1973 the Kinski islands in Yahorlyk Bay, the Danube floodplains, and the Gulf of Tendra’s shallow portion was added to this reserve.
In 1974 the Yahorlyk reserve was also annexed.
In the year 1981 the Danube floodplains were declared to become an independent preserve.
In the year 1984 this reserve was included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
This territory has also been included in the International list of Ramsar Convention.

Habitats found in this reserve

This reserve is a haven for thousands of migrating birds. Over 1,20,000 birds including rare species like red-breasted merganser, the white-tailed eagle, and black-winged stilt can be found in the protected waters and wetland of this reserves. In this reserve, Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, sandy blind mole rat, along with mollusks, rare flowers, and dozens of species of fish are also found.

Damage due to the Russia-Ukraine war

In March 2022, this reserve was damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the invasion, this area witnessed severe fighting that caused several fires in this region.

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