More than 7,000 hectares burned down on the territory of Askania-Nova — director of the reserve

The day before, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, announced that the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve no longer exists. According to him, the occupiers have destroyed it.

In response, the director of the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, Viktor Shapoval, clarified that Prokudin’s statement was undoubtedly taken out of context. He explained that it should be understood as highlighting the significant damage inflicted on the protected area due to the Russian occupation.

Shapoval emphasized this during an interview on Hromadske Radio.

«There is no question about the existence of the biosphere reserve today. It still exists despite the significant damage caused to its natural and artificial ecosystems since February 24, 2022, the beginning of the full-scale invasion,» Shapoval stressed.

The director reminded that Askania-Nova is currently experiencing a «significant impact» from armed aggression and occupation. It began on the first day of the full-scale invasion. He noted several factors that have had a «detrimental» impact on the reserve’s collections. These include the virgin steppe, the dendrological park, and the zoo.

«First of all, we are talking about the impact of aviation, which constantly moves over the reserve, causing stress to the animals. Fires are also a major concern, as they represent one of the most large-scale and threatening factors currently affecting the conservation of the reserve’s natural and artificial ecosystems. Since the beginning of the occupation, and as of August 2024, more than seven thousand hectares have burned within the lands of the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve,» Shapoval reported.

According to him, more than 2,000 hectares have burned in the buffer zones of anthropogenic landscapes within the protected steppe. This is known as the natural core

«This is quite a serious figure. While the steppe is an ecosystem adapted to fires, the scale of these incidents remains highly concerning. Moreover, we must understand that the occupation administration uses ploughing to extinguish fires, a practice that effectively destroys the concept of virgin lands. After a fire, virgin land can recover, but ploughing means death for it,» he added.

Shapoval concluded that the territory will recover in time. However, it will become a perennial fallow land rather than its original steppe.

«It is fortunate that the situation has not yet reached a critical point, but there have been instances of ploughing used to extinguish fires. Additionally, it is important to recognize that some of the fires in Askania-Nova are caused by military activity, which also affects the preservation of this ecosystem,» the director noted.

He also mentioned that there have been illegal exports of animals from the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve.

«To date, there have been four such incidents. We are closely monitoring the situation. Some of the animals were taken to the Rostov region in Russia, while the rest were transported to the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea. As of today, 20 animals have been taken out of Askania-Nova,» Shapoval reported.

As a reminder, the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve has been under occupation since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion on the morning of February 24, 2022.