Environmental education program in the Ukraine

The environmental education program was adopted in the Ukraine in 2005, thanks in part to successful networking and knowledge-transfer from other countries by CICONIA. The success of the project at numerous schools makes it a suitable candidate for education of handicapped and disabled children in the future.

School projects include observing White Storks and determining population numbers. Activities such as lake-shore clean-ups help reinforce the conservation message.

Monitoring Black Storks

The Ukraine is home to a large population of Black Storks. Due to the secretive nature of the Black Stork, little is known about its distribution. CICONIA therefore initiated a survey to map and count Black Stork nests in order to avoid disturbance and ensure successul breeding. Long-term Black Stork conservation will be partialy achieved through local public awareness projects that demonstrate the value of the Black Stork and its habitat. A monograph on the Black Stork is in the works.

Protecting White Storks

Habitat loss is only one of the numerous threats to White Storks. Power poles cause many fatalities each year; considering that over 20% of White Stork pairs nest on power poles in the Ukraine, concrete measures are planned to eliminate this risk.

Project partner is the Westukrainian Ornithological Society represented by Andriy Bokotey and Natalie Dzyubenko.