From May to June, the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG) conducted a survey within the territory of the Southern Forest Office in the Mykolaiv region to identify steppe areas and rare species on plots designated for afforestation.
Out of the 1,500 hectares examined, over 400 hectares were found to be steppe ecosystems. Another 76.5 hectares require further investigation in May 2025.
The species recorded include those listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, which is the official national register of endangered and protected species. The identified species include Genista graniticola, Caragana scythica, Adonis vernalis, several species of feather grass (Stipa genus), Tulipa suaveolens, as well as endemic species of the Mykolaiv region such as cornflower (Centaurea protomargaritacea and Centaurea margaritae) and others.
The UNCG has appealed to the Department of Ecology of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration (Mykolaivska OBA) to include over 125 hectares of additional land in the list of protected areas. This includes lands within the planned “Chychykliyskyi” landscape reserve, which were identified as steppe during a joint survey with UNCG, “Forests of Ukraine,” and the regional Department of Ecology.
The organization also proposed including several steppe plots within the Voznesensky Forestry that have established protected zones for biodiversity conservation. These plots would be used to expand the existing “Yelanetsky Steppe” Nature Reserve.
