RECOVERING UKRAINE'S LOST STEPPE Objectives

This project seeks to restore steppe in Ukraine by ameliorating degraded areas within nature reserves and protected areas, by encouraging regeneration of steppe in derelict surrounding agricultural land, and by influencing the country's military sector, because it too has custody of large areas of steppe. The project is working on nature reserves in Crimea (particularly Opuk Reserve in eastern Crimea), and Donetsk oblast (particularly the Khomutovski Steppe part of the Ukrainian Steppe Nature Reserve). Work with Ukraine's military sector is principally in Kiev.

Specific objectives of this project are to:

	gather Ukrainian scientists with appropriate restoration skills;
	give them practical experience (on problem areas of existing reserves);
	accumulate suitable materials, including seeds and seedlings of steppe plants;
	pass those skills and resources to villagers with suitable land adjacent to reserves;
	empower villagers to maintain and extend recreated natural landscapes, and use them sustainably;
	establish links between Ukrainian biologists, Ukrainian military administrators, and suitable UK personnel, through study trips and seminars explaining the importance of nature conservation, and its public relations value;
	[if possible] formalize those links into a national Joint Advisory Panel where Ukrainian scientists can advise military administrators about conservation issues, helping disseminate that advice, perhaps through further local panels.

Planned outputs are to:

	restore steppe areas on reserves (particularly Opuk and Khomutovski Steppe);
	organize field plots on reserve and adjacent lands (Opuk);
	set up a new visitors' centre for Opuk;
	establish steppe plant seed banks in eastern Crimea and Nikita Botanic Garden (south central Crimea);
	village(s) prepared for sustainable tourism (Opuk);
	increased awareness of public relations value of conservation management on military land (Kiev);
	[if possible] establishment of a Joint Advisory Panel for Ukrainian scientists and military administrators (Kiev).