The school was held from June 9 to 13, 2025 on the Svydovets massif in the Rakhiv district of the Transcarpathian region with the aim of conducting field research to identify the growth sites of rare relict and endemic plant species. Within the framework of the summer school, EPL volunteers, students of Kherson State University and Uzhhorod National University underwent internships. Totally, 32 participants were engaged.
The results of the school have high scientific value, as students and teachers walked 60 kilometers along the Svydovets massif and made 7387 observations of 386 species using the INaturalist application. The results of the students’ work will be checked by teachers in order to provide the observations with a scientific level and the possibility of using them in international databases and, most importantly, to write justifications for establishment of protected areas on Svydovets mountain range in order to preserve its unique nature.
During the school, the participants had the opportunity to visit the territory of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, Lake Ivor, climb Mount Velyka Blyznytsia (1881 m), traverse Mount Stig along its southern and northern slopes, study the biodiversity of the southern slope of Mount Velyka Kotel (1770 m), visit Lake Hereshaska and the peak of Hereshaska (1762 m), Mount Dogyaska (1761 m), and go to the Karachuniaska mountain range. Meadow and forest biotopes were studied, as well as the most valuable – water – mountain springs, streams and swamps.
Students and volunteers worked under the guidance of Doctor Kateryna Polyanska (ICO “Environment-People-Law“) with whom the participants walked the longest route through Svydovets and heard a lecture about glacial landforms, formation of karst lakes and protection of this territory from the threats of the construction of wind farms and a ski resort; Doctor., Assoc. Prof. Roman Kish (Uzhhorod National University), who held a field lecture on the diversity of rare plant species in the territory of Svydovets and helped find and identify them every day; Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor., Prof. Oleksandr Khodosovtsev (Kherson State University) – thanks to whom the students had the opportunity to become part of lichenological research and find places where lichens grew, which were last recorded more than a hundred years ago; Doctor., Prof. Ivan Moisienko (Kherson State University) – who, together with students, identified and entered rare species and their growing places into the database;Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor Natalia Zahorodniuk (Kherson State University), who told students about the diversity of moss species and their role in the ecosystem.
During the school, the anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of Svydovets was also studied, as well as existing problems with jeeping and “mountain tourism on wheels”; commercial collection of lichen called “Icelandic moss”, which ruthlessly destroys its growth sites; erosion caused by cars and motorcycles driving along the slopes of the ridge. However, Svydovets is still threatened by the construction of a ski complex. The struggle with individual representatives of the forestry and resort business, who have a completely different vision of this territory has been going on for 8 years. According to the project published in the Environmental Impact Assessment Register, it is planned to build 23 ski lifts, equip 230 km of ski slopes, build 120 restaurants, 60 hotels, 390 cottages (the residential infrastructure is designed to accommodate 18,000 vacationers daily), build 17 equipment rental points, 10 shopping centers, as well as entertainment venues, banks, 3 fitness centers, medical institutions, 5 multi-storey car parks for 6,000 cars. The complex is designed to accommodate more than 22,000 people at the same time. It is planned to equip reservoirs, retaining dams at water intakes, retaining walls along the beds of small rivers and streams, etc.
Such a mega-resort would destroy this area and the upper reaches of the Chorna Tysa River Valley, as this number of people is larger than the population of the city of Rakhiv and requires a large amount of infrastructure and resources. Such activities are unacceptable.
The threat of the construction of a ski resort has been joined by the threat of construction of a wind farm. On June 12, construction of a mast for measuring wind speed began on Mount Troyaska, the first step towards construction of a wind farm. We would like to emphasize that green energy is designed to preserve wildlife and its resources, and not to ruthlessly destroy the last bastions of mountain ranges for the sake of business interests. We call on the entire environmental community to join the fight to prevent the development of the mountain ranges of the Carpathians.
We thank all participants of the school and internship for their important work in preserving the biodiversity of Svydovets.
