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Dear
Friends!
Analysis of the
environmental consequences of Russia's invasion
of Ukraine facilitates understanding of military
anthropogenic impacts on the environment and how
(and whether) nature adapts in response. Some
consequences, such as the desalination of the
Black Sea as a result of the explosion
of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power
station, turned out to be less
dangerous in the short term than experts had
expected. Not much is said about other
consequences, for example, the possible
“seizure” by introduced and invasive
species of areas most affected by
military operations.
Our Work Group analyzes
cases of the war’s impact on the environment,
and this allows us not only to understand the
consequences, but also to identify adaptation
strategies.
The explosion of the
Kakhovka hydropower station dam on 6 June 2023
has been described as an example of ecocide
during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Even
earlier this summer, UWEC experts noted
that we will only be able to begin a full
analysis of these consequences in the coming
months.
For the time being, it
seems that the disaster has not had serious
negative impacts on the Black Sea
ecosystem. Freshwater dilution of the
sea’s salinity was not as radical as expected,
and local species, such as dolphins, suffered no
more greatly than usual since the beginning of
the war. However, clearly this is only a
preliminary analysis, and more detailed research
is ongoing. Of particular concern is the wartime
release of heavy metals, nitrates, and
phosphates into the Black Sea. Large rivers such
as the Dnieper, Danube, and Don are continuously
polluting the sea, and the additional
anthropogenic load is problematic for the Black
Sea:
As
for the now-dry Kakhovka reservoir, we see
active regrowth of forest at an impressive rate
of growth. In just a few months, two- to
three-meter-tall willows and poplars have
appeared. There was even talk of the possible
restoration of the forests of the “Great Meadow”
(Velykyi Luh), the area
flooded as the complex’s dams were erected. And
although power engineers are determined to
restore the Kakhovka hydropower station,
environmental experts are categorically against
it, unable to find any economic or energy
argument in favor of
rebuilding:
Another
topic in need of particular analysis is
ecosystem restoration plans in Eastern Ukraine,
especially those areas affected by hostilities.
As the head of Ukrainian Nature Conservation
Group and UWEC Work Group expert Oleksiy
Vasyliuk notes, there is a high
probability that war-affected lands will become
hubs for the spread of invasive species, as well
as centers experiencing ecosystem change. Full
analysis must wait until peacetime; for now, the
war is ongoing. Meanwhile, satellite monitoring
allows us to make preliminary
assumptions:
Our
fifth webinar, held jointly with Reporters
Without Borders - Sweden and Svea
Green Foundation, was dedicated to the use
of satellite data, open source data, and
information-gathering on the environmental
consequences of war. During the event,
Olexander Opanasenko of
Ukrainian NGO Ecodia, OSINT Analysis Specialist
Wim Zwijnenburg, and expert
Linas Svolkinas of CEOBS
gathered to discuss techniques for understanding
and assessing the environmental consequences of
the invasion of Ukraine. The webinar recording
and presentations can be viewed on our
website:
Another
important issue is the state of occupied
territories – a situation in which very little
information is available. One of the largest
nature reserves in Europe, Askania-Nova
Nature Reserve, not only remains within
the occupation zone, but also suffers negative
impacts. In September, almost 2,000 hectares of
its protected steppe burned from fires caused by
combat operations. Instances involving
construction of military structures on the
reserve’s territory have been recorded, in part
using satellite data. Despite this, it remains
difficult to understand the impacts on the
reserve’s animals and remaining protected areas
workers and to what extent work is continues
inside the occupied
reserve:
As
we have written more than once, the war in the
region is not limited to Ukraine and it has been
going on for quite a few years. Hybrid warfare
negatively impacts Europe's protected areas as a
whole, often dividing them, for example the
unique Białowieża Forest. These
impacts are also recognized at the international
level. For example, construction of border
fences was condemned during the UNESCO
World Heritage Session that occurred in
late September. Read more about how the session
on World Heritage went in the context of a
growing global political crisis in expert Eugene
Simonov’s article:
We
continue to follow the environmental
consequences of the invasion on our website,
on Twitter (X)
and on Facebook.
We wish
you strength and peace!
Alexej
Ovchinnikov, editor, UWEC Work
Group |
