Russian invasion hinders global biodiversity conservation, study shows

UngulateNerd92

UngulateNerd92

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  • A new policy paper outlines the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on biodiversity and conservation efforts.
  • The authors found that the escalation of the war has isolated Russia, a key party to many international conservation agreements and a vital country for protecting biodiversity because of its diverse habitats, as well as the threatened and migratory species it hosts.
  • That isolation has impeded international cooperation on species conservation, they write.
  • The invasion has also shifted the priorities of many countries faced with the knock-on effects of the war, such as potential food shortages.
The red-breasted goose is a well-traveled bird. From their breeding grounds in Arctic Siberia, flocks typically migrate over northern Kazakhstan through the Russian Republic of Kalmykia and Rostov Oblast to balmier climes near the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. Wandering individuals — vagrants, in the parlance of ornithologists — have turned up as far afield as Ireland, India and Israel and Palestine, and they even grace ancient Egyptian frescos.

Diminutive and snub-nosed, an adult red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis) is striking, painted as if by a master decoy maker with swatches of white, dark black and the auburn it’s named for. Though legally protected throughout its range, its beauty makes it a sought-after prize for illegal hunters, and the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, now lists the bird as vulnerable. But energy projects, fishing and climate change are also dragging down its numbers.

For more than a decade, conservation organizations from around the region have worked across borders to codify protections for the red-breasted goose.

“You cannot protect a migratory species without acting actively in all the range countries,” Nicky Petkov, a project manager at the nonprofit Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, told Mongabay. “This is one of the flyway basics.”

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...al-biodiversity-conservation-study-shows/amp/
 
Russia’s aggression threatens efforts to protect nature beyond Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022 has sent economic, social and political shock waves around the world. In a newly published policy brief, we and other researchers and conservation scientists describe how these effects extend to biodiversity conservation efforts far beyond Ukraine.

Animals, plants and ecosystems don’t recognize political boundaries, so protecting them often requires international cooperation. Over many decades, countries have developed a network of international agreements and arrangements for protecting biodiversity. Now, however, the war at Russia’s hands is delaying a number of those efforts, stopping others, and even sending some into reverse.

Russia’s aggression threatens efforts to protect nature beyond Ukraine
 
Haliaeetus said:
One can notice that Russian aggression on Ukraine (nor covid) hasn't stopped the restoration work in the Ukrainian part of Danube Delta.
Such "extreme conservation" situations have already happened in situation of civil wars or other big troubles (think to Gorilla conservation in the African Great Lakes, in the 1990's!) but the invasion context makes it really unusual.
Ongoing lake restoration efforts benefit pelicans and people in the Danube Delta | Rewilding Europe
Click to expand...

Do you feel like at this point, Covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are just a case of people and institutions making excuses to twiddle their thumbs, drag their feet, and not take any action on these important issues? I bring that up because as you said, habitat restoration in the Danube Delta and gorilla conservation in the African Great Lakes were able to happen despite such crises.
 
Here is another relevant article.

365 days of war in Ukraine

A year ago today, Russia invaded Ukraine triggering a violent conflict which shows no sign of ending. It has shattered any illusion that war in Europe was confined to history.

The impact of Russian aggression has been devastating. Tens of thousands of people have died, a staggering 8 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries in search of refuge, and while it is impossible to assess the severity of environmental damage, it is certain that the direct and indirect impact of the war will take a generation to clean up.

Yet, amidst the turmoil and appalling suffering, there have been the most incredible stories of resilience, of solidarity and of hope.

Through the year, the BirdLife family has done what it can to help those from the Ukrainian conservation community affected by the horrors of war: providing safe transit to neighbouring countries, accommodation, and now employment. We told their stories through a film we produced last summer and this support continues today. Similar solidarity has been extended to the staff of our Belarusian Partner, disbanded as part of a wider crackdown against civil society. OTOP, our Partner in Poland have been also deeply engaged in the wider refugee relief effort.


365 days of war in Ukraine
 
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