Nature and Wars Seminar 3: Protected areas in the wartime

“The impact of war on biodiversity and natural ecosystems in the North-Western Black Sea Region”
Ivan Rusev ("Tuzlivski Lymany” National Nature Park, Tatarbunary, Odesa region, Ukraine)
Abstract: This presentation examines the cascade mechanism of cetacean mortality associated with the use of military sonar, missile launches, and explosions of mines and bombs. The impact of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on marine ecosystems and Danube newts is discussed. Particular attention is also given to the effects of tanker accidents involving fuel oil spills in the Kerch Strait on birds and dolphins. Additionally, the impact of the release of sunflower oil from damaged storage tanks on birds and aquatic organisms is analyzed.

Professor Ivan Rusev is the Head of the Research Department at the "Tuzlivski Lymany” National Nature Park (Odesa region, Ukraine). His research interests include wildlife conservation, the establishment of new protected areas, the ecology of birds and mammals, biodiversity protection, and the preservation and renaturalization of wetlands. His work also encompasses environmental education, ecological tourism, and the study of natural foci of especially dangerous infections. In addition to his scientific activities, Ivan Rusev is widely known in Ukraine for his active civic stance against corruption, as well as illegal hunting and fishing.

“Chornobyl Reserve: navigating nature conservation in the fog of war”
Alona Varukha (Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, Exclusion Zone, Ukraine)
Abstract: The talk is dedicated to the history of creation, current state, and functioning of Сhornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve in times of war. The direct impact of warfare and overlooked war-induced challenges will be explored. War will be explored through conservation lenses as an ecological stressor as well as a factor of management crisis for the protected area. The Reserve's conservation governance and management dilemmas are highlighted.

Alona Varukha is the Head of the Physical Geography and Radioecology Laboratory at the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (Exclusion Zone, Kyiv region, Ukraine). Gained a Master’s in Geography (Tourism and Recreation) at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. She is working on a PhD thesis in Protected Areas Management at the Institute of Geography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Her research interests include conservation governance, protected area (PA) management, PA management effectiveness and its evaluation, and recreation and tourism development within PAs. Alumni of BfN’s Klaus Toepfer and DBU’s CEE Fellowships.

“The protection of Biodiversity Hotspots in Armed Conflict”
Dr. Jérôme de Hemptinne (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
Abstract: Vulnerable ecological areas, including national parks — notably in Ukraine — are often severely affected by armed conflicts. In theory, these areas could benefit from the safeguards provided under international humanitarian law (IHL), particularly through the regimes of “demilitarized zones” and “undefended localities.” In practice, however, these mechanisms — primarily designed to protect civilians and dependent on the goodwill of the belligerents — are rarely invoked to protect the environment as such. At the same time, international environmental law (IEL) contains a rich and diverse normative framework governing the designation, protection, and management of areas of major ecological importance. This presentation will briefly explore how these two legal regimes interact and how they might be better articulated to strengthen the protection of vulnerable ecological areas during armed conflict.

Jérôme de Hemptinne is an Assistant Professor of International Law. Prior to his academic appointment, he spent nearly two decades working with international judicial institutions, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Office of the United Nations Legal Counsel in New York, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

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