In order to achieve this outcome we work on two priorities:

Development of upgraded area planning schemes (projekt orhanizatsiyi terrytoriyi) for protected areas in Ukraine

Through the SNPA Project MENR upgrades the management plans of eight Protected Areas (PA) in accordance with international standards. MENR chose an integrated approach to cater for the justified interests of relevant stakeholders in conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Guidelines for this approach are e.g. described in Borrini-Feyerabend 2013, Dudley and Philipps 2006, IUCN 2014, Unesco 1996, Unesco 2016, Getzner et al. 2010, Lange and Jungmeier 2014, Wagner et al. 2005.

Ukrainian protected areas cover 6,2 % of the country’s territory. However, they are on the verge of losing their unique values. In general, the parks‘ management is weak due to

• the absence of/low quality of equipment and infrastructure, as well as poor working conditions.
• insufficient funding, which, in most cases, only covers the basic salaries.
• insufficient know-how, especially regarding participatory approaches and cooperation with local stakeholders (local communities and local authorities).
• poor conservation management of particular habitat types and ineffective environmental management.
• a lack of attention to the cultural heritage both inside and outside of protected areas.
• the almost complete absence of knowledge about the ecosystem services of protected areas.

The poor quality of management plans is a cross-cutting issue. None of the protected areas subject of these ToR have management plans complying with the new legal provisions in Ukraine issued in 2014. Those provisions include the adherence to European standards, especially the Habitat and Bird Directives, participatory management planning processes, improved cooperation with local communities, introduction of innovative technologies and upgraded conservation management standards.

The management planning process targets the following protected areas:

• Synevyr, Karpatskyi, Uzhanskyi, Verkhovynskyi, Yavorivskyi, and Vyzhnytskyi National Nature Parks, Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and Gorgany Nature Reserve.

The current status of management planning in these parks is summarised in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Status of management planning for seven selected protected areas

The following standards and reference documents have to be taken into account throughout the delivery of management planning services:

• MENR Order from July 6, 2005 No. 245 “On the Approval of the Regulations on the Projects for Planning the Territories of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine” (as amended in accordance with the MENR Order No. 273 from August 21, 2014), Methods and Recommendations pertaining to the Order of the Ministry from 2005, already existing plans and experience in the PAs. The technical requirements for PA management developed below must be in accordance with the requirements of the MENR Order No. 273 from August 21, 2014, as this Order is currently legally binding in Ukraine.
• Laws of Ukraine “On the Nature Reserve Fund”, “On the Red Book of Ukraine”, “On the Animal Kingdom”, “On the Plant Kingdom”; Forest, Water and Land Code of Ukraine.
• Bern Convention, Ramsar, UNESCO (MAB, World Heritage), Emerald Network, Convention on Biodiversity. European standards, including Habitats and Birds Directives, European Beech Forest Network.

Besides national regulations, international guidelines have to be considered as well. The following documents have been ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament and are therefore mandatory:

1. The Bern Convention is a binding legal instrument for the protection of flora and fauna as well as natural habitats in Europe. For Ukraine, this convention is now the most important international document on the conservation of animal and plant species as well as habitats. The convention is also the basis for the implementation of EU nature conservation directives and for the development of Emerald Network sites in Ukraine.
2. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the protection of wetlands, which implies certain reporting requirements that have to be met. The “Guideline for the efficient use of wetlands” can be used as a reference. The Ramsar Convention’s CEPA programme should also be considered as a communication tool in order to foster communication and education and raise awareness.
3. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes two types of protected areas the standards of which should be met: World heritage sites and Biosphere reserves. More detailed descriptions are given in The Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB), the Seville Strategy (1995); the Madrid Action Plan (2008) and the Lima Action Plan (2016).
4. Particular attention should be paid to certain areas in the Carpathians which are nominated to become part of the World Heritage site “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”.
5. The Convention on Biodiversity (COB) shall be considered, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2014), if applicable.

There are also documents that are not legally valid but should be considered, considering the principles of strategic development of Ukraine, in particular:

1. The Habitats Directive (Directive 1992/92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EC) should be considered in order to approach European and Ukrainian standards.
2. IUCN standards and recommendations (e.g. “Strategic Planning for Species Conservation:  A Handbook) should also be considered.

Improving the land designation and boundary delineation of the protected areas

Clearly defined boundaries of protected areas are a pre-requisite for their legal functionality. To support this process, the SNPA project aims to support the development of a so-called “Protected Area Cadastre” for Ukraine. This cadastre will

• support the ongoing development of the Ukrainian Protected Area network called “Natural Reserve Fund” (NRF).
• improve the status of the PAs, ensure legal certainty and support effective PA management,
• support planning research, which provides public authorities and stakeholders with necessary information for addressing various issues such as the socio-economic development.

The first step of this component will be the development of a so-called “Automated System of State Cadastre for Protected Areas” which will allow for the use of remote sensing methods to assist with the boundary delineation of protected areas.

The manual developed by a group of GIS experts as part of the project, which will be used for training in the parks, can be found here: https://cutt.ly/YzEfTeZ

Map 1: Borders of Uzhanskyi NNP and NNP Skolivski Beskydy