Polesia: Climate of wetlands and forest areas of Ukraine

EU-funded project "Integrating Climate Change into Vulnerable Ecosystems Management: natural parks in wetlands and forest areas (Ukraine)"

Increase of the temperature lead to decrease of winter frosts, also more cases of showfalls and heavy graze storms are observed in Polissya. The average values of intensity of precipitation in warm period increased; the frequency of heavy and very heavy rains, rain storms, hails is also increased.

In the same time climate changes in the north of Volyn Oblast and north of Zhytomyr Oblast affect differently...

EU-funded project "Integrating Climate Change into Vulnerable Ecosystems Management: natural parks in wetlands and forest areas (Ukraine)".

The project first aims at the realization of a Local Climate Adaptation Plan (LCAP) for both areas, that will pave the way to the implementation of pilot projects also financed by the project. In the meantime, public awareness and capacity of the local authority will be increased to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The project is implemented by the French "Association VERSeau Développement" in cooperation with the "Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds" and the French Pyrenees National Park. The pilot areas os the project are the national park “Pripyat-Stokhid” (Volyn Oblast) and the "Polissya nature reserve" (Zhytomyr Oblast).

Regarding the climate change the prognosis for 2011-40 shows increase of the air temperature for all months of the year for 0,6-1,2 С0, with maximum values in summer; predicted changes of annual average monthly and yearly sums of precipitation are not significant – for most of months it is around 5%. Also project scientists defined the trend that starting from 90s of the ХХ century the average temperature and moisture contains has been increasing with the maximum values in warm period. Due to such changes, the average values of intensity of precipitation in warm period increased; the frequency of heavy and very heavy rains, rain storms, hails is also increased. However due to increase of intensity of precipitation, their frequency is decreased (one time heavy rain, then no drop of water for a long time), which lead to increase of the number of days with extreme fire danger in summer.

Increase of the temperature lead to decrease of winter frosts, also more cases of showfalls and heavy graze storms are observed.

In the same time climate changes in the north of Volyn Oblast and north of Zhytomyr Oblast affect differently. For e.g. maximum during the year number of wet days in 2011-2040 comparing with 1971-2010 will increase per 10 days for north of Volyn Oblast and decrease for 7,5 days for north of Zhytomyr Oblast. In practice it means, that Volyn Oblast will suffer significantly from floods, whereas Zhytomyr oblast will suffer from heat and droughts. Such climatic phenomena will have negative impact on the harvest of mushrooms and berries, which currently play an important role in local economy.

Climate changes already have led to wetlands deterioration, and rapid decrease of biodiversity and productivity of grass. In case of additional amelioration, sedge wetlands quickly transform is peatland meadows, then just meadows and then rought meadow, in the forest ecosystems – the number of southern thermophyte and light-requiring flora species increased, some of them negatively affect the ecosystem and human health, such as ambrosia. In the rivers due to increase of vegetation period the water vegetation will develop more and more, causing transformation of a river into the marsh. The changes occur also in fauna: for the first time thermophite southern fauna species are observed, such as steppe buzzard, little owl, mediterranean bat, small white-toothed shrew. In the same time the number of species typical for boreal forest zone of Europe such as wood grouse, bearded owl, roe, lynx is increasing.

The project experts identified the following vulnerable ecosystems at the pilot areas: riverbeds – increase of population of water birds, floodplain meadows – also decrease of typical fauna, ameliorated peatlands and meadows – in total decrease of species diversity for 50 -70 %.

In the frame of the EU project it is planned to conduct a number of practical actions devoted to restoration of vulnerable ecosystems such as flooding of peatlands, riverbed cleaning etc. The first results of the pilot project in Polissya reserve can be already seen in practice: a number of dikes are established at the main water courses to hold water at the territory of the nature reserve, also fire protection mineralized line between the peatland and forest of total length 36 km is established. We hope that such actions will allow to mitigate predicted negative impact of climate change at the vulnerable ecosystems and to protect the unique nature of Polissya!

More information about EU-funded project "Integrating Climate Change into Vulnerable Ecosystems Management: natural parks in wetlands and forest areas (Ukraine)": www.wetlandsclimate.net.

ДИВІТЬСЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ: КЛІМАТ ПОЛІССЯ - дослідження вчених і довготривалий прогноз погоди на Поліссі

Тема: Climate of Polesia in wetlands and forest areas of Ukraine

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