Within the boundaries of the Irdynske Boloto (Irdyn Fen or Bog), there are already around 17 existing Protected Areas Fund (PZF) sites, ranging from conservation reserves (zakaznyky) to nature monuments. These sites are intended to conserve old-growth forests and valuable wetland ecosystems.
This area is home to numerous populations of rare plant and animal species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.
The Problem of Fragmentation
The issue is that these existing PZF sites are highly fragmented and lack a unified management system. Their scattered nature prevents the effective long-term conservation of the complete natural complexes—they lose critical ecological connectivity, which can lead to ecosystem degradation.
The territories lying between these fragmented sites are under immediate threat of destruction: clear-cutting of forests, plans for the re-drainage of the wetland, and the potential renewal of peat extraction. These actions would have catastrophic consequences for the integrity of the entire ecosystem.
Therefore, the establishment of a National Nature Park (NNP) is not just the correct decision, but a necessary one. An NNP designation would allow for the consolidation of these disparate territories, ensure effective, unified management, and preserve these unique natural complexes for future generations.
Opposing Forces and Suspicions of Corruption
Before its recent liquidation, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (Min dovkillia) managed to approve the petition for the establishment of the NNP, covering an area of nearly 25,000 hectares. However, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” (the state forestry management body) believes that the Irdynske Boloto does not require protected status.
The standard set of “arguments” offered by the foresters is repetitive and familiar: “The forest will dry up, be lost, and burn.” They generally claim that foresters “know and manage things better.”
Oh, they “manage things,” indeed. Just a week ago, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) detained the head of the Cherkasy Forest Management Unit branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” He is being charged with using threats of dismissal to force subordinates to pay him a monthly percentage of the timber harvested by the forestry.
Perhaps this is the real reason why the foresters are opposing the establishment of the “Irdynske Boloto” National Nature Park?
