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Promoting sustainable livestock management and ecosystem conservation in Northern Ukraine
Land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change are challenges that directly affect the lives of millions of Ukrainians.
In Ukraine, primarily in the northern regions, there are around 3 million hectares of peatlands, a significant portion of which have been drained for agricultural purposes. The drainage of the peatlands and use of traditional farming methods on them have led to their becoming degraded and reduced in fertility. The drainage of the land has also worsened the condition of nearby reservoirs, made forest fires more frequent, and contributed to the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases.
This not only causes direct harm to the environment but also creates challenges for people, especially in northern Ukraine, where many local communities rely on agriculture as their main source of income.
If land use practices aren’t changed now, these areas may soon become unsuitable for both habitation and economic activity.
In response to these challenges, UNDP, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is implementing a project called “Promoting sustainable livestock management and ecosystem conservation in Northern Ukraine.”
The project aims to develop a model for a sustainable food system in northern Ukraine, support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable land use, and preserve endangered plant and animal species.
The project operates in seven regions: Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, and Chernihiv.
What are we doing?
We’re developing Integrated Land Use Plans (ILUP) to help communities make effective and sustainable use of their natural resources. This involves:
Restoring degraded lands, including drained peatlands;
Developing a legal framework for the management, protection, restoration, and sustainable use of peatlands;
Equipping national parks and nature reserves in the region with specialized tools for ecosystem monitoring and protection;
Developing a Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) protocol to assess greenhouse gas emissions, and implementing such studies on pilot peatland sites.
Supporting farmers in adopting sustainable practices by providing guidance materials, consultations, and expert assistance;
Establishing a sustainable livestock platform that brings together producers, retailers, and other stakeholders;
Sharing knowledge and coordinating efforts to promote the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.
Who is this project designed for?
The project is designed for stakeholders seeking to preserve and sustainably manage the natural resources of these territories, including:
Farmers and private businesses looking for environmentally responsible models of land use;
Conservation institutions such as nature reserves, national parks, and regional landscape parks;
National and international partners supporting sustainable land use initiatives;
Experts and researchers working on ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation.
What are our goals?
We aim to develop Integrated Land Use Plans (ILUP) for 83 territorial communities across seven regions of Ukraine;
Restore 36,100 hectares of land;
Conserve 68,000 hectares of ecosystems;
Improve farming methods on 2.98 million hectares of cultivated land;
Support over 9,000 direct beneficiaries;
Establish a multi-stakeholder platform for sustainable livestock management
Introduce paludiculture - an innovative sustainable approach to livestock farming on overwetted lands.
The UNDP project “Promoting sustainable livestock management and ecosystem conservation in Northern Ukraine” is being implemented with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and expert guidance from the global FOLUR Programme (Food Systems. Land Use. Restoration). Its implementation period is 2022–2026.