Ukraine: Fires in Askania-Nova: Consequences of Military Occupation of a Reserve

Oct 8, 2023 | Victoria Hubareva, Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
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The Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in the Kherson region has been under occupation since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Founded by the assimilated German Friedrich von Falz Fein in 1898, the reserve is the oldest protected area in Ukraine. It was he, having noticed that sheep grazing was destroying steppe vegetation, who first decided to allocate an area that would fenced off from animals in order to preserve the natural condition of the land.