The problem of invasive alien species doesn’t stop at a country’s borders. It affects much larger areas, often entire continents. That’s why, in carrying out the project “Strengthening Biodiversity by Preventing, Early Warning, and Controlling Invasive Alien Plant Species,” we planned activities not only in Poland and Lithuania but also in our eastern neighbor – Ukraine.
With our partners, we want to share above all the knowledge and skills we’ve gained during the project’s research work and IAS control actions. This will help them optimize legal regulations as well as plan and carry out actions aimed at combating alien species. For the coming years, we’ve planned six workshops – both in Ukraine and in Poland – where our experts will present Polish best practices to representatives of Ukrainian nature protection services.
In preparation for the workshops, our project team visited Ukraine in July. We met with the Deputy Minister of Economics, Environmental Protection, and Rural Economy, Oleksandr Krasnolucki, and his colleagues, as well as directors and specialists from 5 national parks in western Ukraine. We discussed the optimal workshop program, locations for holding them, directions for field trips, and overall logistics. It’s really encouraging that despite the ongoing war, our Ukrainian friends continue to think about nature conservation.
