Last year, the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG) conducted a survey and prepared a petition to establish the “Balka Slavkina” nature reserve, a proposed 109-hectare site within the Nechayanska Village Council in the Mykolaiv region. The petition received support from the regional administration and was forwarded to the community for its approval.
The territory of the planned reserve is a habitat protected under the Bern Convention. It is home to seven plant species listed in The Red Data Book of Ukraine, including meadow pasque flower (Pulsatilla pratensis), pontic iris (Iris pontica), reticulated saffron (Crocus reticulatus), Lessing’s feather grass (Stipa lessingiana), and spring adonis (Adonis vernalis). Additionally, dwarf Russian almond (Prunus tenella), salt-tolerant iris (Iris halophila), yellowish garlic (Allium flavescens), dwarf iris (Iris pumila), and common joint-fir (Ephedra distachya) are on the Mykolaiv Regional Red List.
However, the future reserve has encountered problems at the community level. The village council initially refused to even put the issue on its session agenda. Then, the deputies voted against its establishment, citing concerns that it would prevent livestock grazing. They also claimed the rejection was because the entire site had been designated as public pasture by a council decision.
It is evident that the community’s desire for grazing and the land’s status as a public pasture not only do not interfere with the reserve’s creation but could also contribute to preserving steppe biodiversity. Our petition even recommends grazing as a management practice for the area.
We have sent official explanations by mail and met with community representatives in person. It appears the community’s leadership did not present our scientific justification to the deputies, making their decision to refuse approval unfounded and uninformed. Ignoring legal requirements, the community, or at least its leadership, refused to reconsider the petition.
We have now appealed to the Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration (Mykolaivska OVA) to facilitate the reserve’s creation. According to the Law of Ukraine “On the Protected Areas Fund,” a community’s consent is not mandatory for the designation of a nature reserve on communal lands.
