Ukraine’s Season of Silence
Ukraine’s Season of Silence, April 1 to June 15: Care for nature disrupted by russia’s war.
In 1980 under soviet occupation, Ukraine published a list of just 85 endangered species which needed protection. However after Ukraine was restored as a free nation in 1991, Ukrainian and EU biologists discovered that many more species were at risk, and updated this list to 1369 species in 2019, indicating a large under-count of species during the soviet occupation.
To promote a restoration of the natural cycle, Ukraine instituted the “Season of Silence” in 1993, to protect breeding conditions and migratory routes of animals. This law prohibits activities that cause loud noises in forest areas, in order to promote the recovery of animal populations. Unfortunately, in March of 2022, this was suspended due to russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The suspension of this innovative program is just one of the many ways that russia’s invasion has damaged the natural world in Ukraine. russia must be stopped, for the sake of humans and animals alike.
Photo by Kostiantyn Vierkieiev on Unsplash
