The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has inundated massive areas of southern Ukraine, leaving tens of 1000’s of individuals prone to shedding their properties. The catastrophe, for which Russia and Ukraine blame one another, additionally has far-reaching penalties for agriculture and ecology in southern Ukraine. Government representatives in Kyiv are calling it an “ecocide” perpetrated by Russian attackers.
Scientific American’s German sister publication Spektrum der Wissenschaft spoke with zoologist Oleg Dudkin, director of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds—certainly one of Ukraine’s largest and oldest environmental nongovernmental organizations.
[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
You’re chatting with us from Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. Is every thing quiet the place you might be?
The previous few nights, we had a number of dozen Russian missile assaults, however all of them had been intercepted by our air defenses. Now it is kind of quiet right here in Kyiv, and we try to get an image of the state of affairs within the south.
What have you learnt in regards to the state of affairs within the affected area?
The state of affairs there may be catastrophic. The image is altering from hour to hour, however it’s already clear that an enormous space is flooded between the dam and the mouths of the Dnipro and Southern Buh rivers on the Black Sea. The most essential factor now could be to assist the many individuals affected and get them to security. That effort goes fairly properly.
What do we all know at this stage about how the catastrophe will impression the setting and agriculture?
It is already fairly clear that we’re taking a look at an ecological catastrophe of monumental proportions. This will most likely have extended penalties for nature and agriculture and due to this fact for folks. The affected area is used intensively for agriculture and is of excellent ecological significance, even past Ukraine.
Can you describe the results in additional element?
It’s too early for an intensive evaluation, in fact. But take the problem of flooding for agriculture and for soils normally. Some locations within the area develop rice, for instance, with very heavy use of pesticides. The area additionally has an enormous downside with groundwater salinization due to intensive irrigation over time. So these pesticides, salt and large quantities of oil that entered the Dnipro River from the catastrophe are mixing with the clear water from the reservoir, mixing right into a poisonous broth that’s washing over every thing. Our authorities estimates that as much as 500 tons of oil may find yourself within the river. This is likely one of the large issues we’ve got, and it’ll have penalties for nature, for agriculture and for folks’s ingesting water. And on high of that, the harmful energy of the floods is threatening some essential protected areas.
Which significantly priceless ecological areas are being affected by the catastrophe?
Dozens of protected areas, together with internationally vital ones, are being impacted. The complete area, the Dnipro River itself, its delta and the adjoining estuaries, along with the Black Sea coast, are among the many most essential breeding and resting areas for a lot of birds from throughout Europe throughout their migration to Africa and again. This means the catastrophe is not going to solely have an effect on “our” birds; many, many migratory birds from the remainder of Europe may also undergo.
We are in the midst of the breeding season for the overwhelming majority of chicken species. What penalties will the catastrophe have for them?
Let’s simply take the delta of the Dnipro. This is a large estuary with small islands, riparian forests, shallow water zones and large reed beds. Because of its excessive ecological worth, it’s protected and designated as a wetland of worldwide significance below the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. And by the best way, we’ve got a number of different protected areas within the area. Dozens of species of uncommon birds are discovered there, and 1000’s of pairs are breeding proper now. Their nests could also be destroyed, or the water they fish from could also be polluted. This is a very powerful breeding space for a lot of endangered species. For instance, we’ve got a very powerful pelican colony there and a whole bunch of Squacco Herons, in addition to otters and the endangered European mink. This space can also be an outstandingly essential supply of unpolluted ingesting water.
What is the state of affairs on the close by Crimean Peninsula, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014?
We have a really priceless and really fragile steppe ecosystem on the Crimean Peninsula—among the many most precious in Europe. We should assume that a big a part of will probably be destroyed or severely broken by the Russian occupation. How a lot, we can’t say now, as a result of we’ve got been prevented from persevering with our analysis and monitoring on the peninsula.
Even earlier than the present catastrophe, the continued battle has had drastic penalties on nature within the area. What have you learnt about this?
The preventing round Kherson, particularly across the bridge over the Dnipro, is among the many worst of the battle. It precipitated massive fires, for instance, within the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve southwest of Kherson, one of many largest and most essential biosphere reserves within the nation. The fires had been so intensive that they may very well be seen from area. As a consequence, distinctive habitats proceed to be destroyed.
The battle has been raging in different elements of the nation for nearly a 12 months and a half. What does it appear to be there?
We can’t even start to estimate the complete extent of the results of the battle on nature. But the impacts are extraordinarily dangerous wherever there was warfare. Let’s take the area of Polesia within the north. There, the preventing has set fireplace to very large areas of moorland. The moors there are very outdated and ecologically priceless. As a results of the preventing and shelling, massive peat fires happen again and again. These fires, a few of that are underground, merely can’t be introduced below management, even below regular circumstances. This signifies that not solely have forests, fields and meadows been destroyed by the fires, but additionally the flames proceed underground. This, in fact, releases large quantities of greenhouse gases from the peatlands. Beyond a pure catastrophe, it’s possible additionally a local weather disaster.
Is it even attainable to guard nature below such circumstances?
Yes, we’re persevering with our work, with the assistance of our companions. The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, for instance, helps us. We have a big safety program for bison within the area round Mykolaiv. We are additionally working to guard barn owls in Zakarpats’ka Oblast when the state of affairs permits. Unfortunately, different initiatives needed to be paused as a result of there are too many land mines within the protected areas or as a result of preventing is raging. And one quarter of our protected areas are actually below the management of the occupying forces.
Before the battle, there was very shut cooperation between conservationists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. As a consequence, many cross-border initiatives had been created. Will this occur once more when the battle is over?
If it would occur once more with Russia, I really can’t say. But definitely it would occur with our pals in Belarus.
How essential is nature to folks in occasions of battle?
Very essential, I can guarantee you. I’ll provide you with an instance from final weekend. Despite the fixed menace of assaults, we supplied a chicken tour to the Kyiv Botanical Garden. The attendance was large. People love nature, and phone with nature provides many people psychological energy.
What species of birds did you and different birders see?
We have seen a whopping 72 species, together with rarities for an enormous metropolis, such because the European Honey Buzzard and Red-breasted Flycatcher. The completely satisfied, carefree tune of the Eurasian Golden Oriole, particularly, moved many.
This article initially appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.
