total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Population: 49,811,174 (July 1999 est.)
Source: CIA Worldfact Book (2000)
Ukraine
Ministry
of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety
(Source: CIA World Factbook 1999)
Many thanks to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the source of the following information. The information was taken from the Ukraine's submission to the 5th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (last update: 1 April 1997). For further information on the Ukraine's social and economic factors, natural resources, and institutional structures see the United Nations System-Wide Web Site on National Implementation of the Rio Commitments National Information for Ukraine at:
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/ukraine/index.htm
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed by Ukraine in 1995. In addition, Ukraine has signed and enforces the Convention on the High Seas and the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, as the Ministry responsible for Sustainable Development, is the agency mainly accountable for ensuring integrated planning and implementation for oceans and coastal areas. The national system of natural resources management is primarily based on a sectoral approach. Inter-sectoral centres for decision-making are required to achieve an integrated approach.
Recommendations from the Code of Conduct of Responsible Fishing will be included in a new law on fishing. The Government plans to integrate its national policy on oceans into the National Sustainable Development Strategy. It also plans to integrate a coastal area management programme into the strategy. Existing coastal zone or area management plans do not encompass all marine activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of all investment projects are now required, and a fee for natural resources use has been introduced.
Major groups participate in an advisory capacity towards national processes at national and local levels. There is ad hoc participation to private sector processes by, for example, small-scale fishermen and indigenous people. The Government develops and participates in capacity-building and training programmes to foster the sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources.
The state of the Black and Azov Seas and their coastal environment has improved due to a decrease of both production and sea pollution. Nevertheless, substantial pollution has caused hydrological changes influencing coastal areas. The discharge of pesticides and highly mineralized drainage water promotes sedimentation and the degradation of sea inlets and bays. Fish stocks have declined remarkably over the last five years.
The ecological condition of the Azov and Black Seas can only be further improved if environmental improvements occur in the catchment areas of their rivers. A national programme focusing on ecological improvement of the Dnipro river, including measures in the Donetsk-Dnipro region, are the main activities to date.
The Government suggests the formation of an investment
infrastructure under market economy conditions to identify
the steps requiring international cooperation for the
prevention, reduction, and control of marine environmental
degradation from land-based activities. The Government also
emphasizes the need for international cooperation to
implement an effective monitoring system. Ukraine actively
participates in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Black
Sea Environmental Programme. The country also promotes and
supports the integration of projects planned and implemented
by UN system organizations. The Government does not
participate in the development of a Global Ocean Observing
System.
Black Sea Environmental Program
For
information on fish catches
COASTAL MANAGEMENT IN UKRAINE
EUCC has compiled country files on Integrated Coastal
Management (ICM) for all coastal states of Europe and
Central Asia. Summaries for all countries will become
available in August.
This page provides a preliminary summary on the following
items for Ukraine:
- Spatial planning
- Environment
- Nature Conservation
- Sectoral Development
- Framework for Development of ICZM
- National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
- Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM
1. Spatial Planning
1.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Law on the Basis of City Building, (1992).
- The Land Code, (1992).
- The Water Code, (1995): states the limitations of economic activity and construction in the coastal zone.
- Law on Territorial Planning and construction, (2000).
Policy:
- Establishing spatial constrains on types of territorial use of the coast by functional zoning of territory and restriction of certain types of activity due to planning, ecological, sanitary-hygienic and other norms.
- The boundaries of the coastal zone have been established according to administrative requirements.
1.2 Administrative Competencies
The Ministry of the Ecology and Natural Resources secures the administrative competence in territorial management. The action of the decision making mechanism is felt only at the organisational structure of the ICZM system at different levels of administrative units (administrative districts, oblasts, cities of state subordination, autonomous republic). That is, the administrative bodies may have corresponding management centres with items in their budgets for financing the decisions made.
1.3 Coastal Policy
No information received.
2. Environment
2.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Law on Environmental Protection, (1991).
- Law on the Exclusive (Marine) Economic Zone of Ukraine (1995); includes conditions of protection and use of fish and other living resources, restriction and exploitation of separate islands, installations and structures.
- Law on Environmental Expertise (1995);
- Law on Territorial Planning and Construction, (2000).
2.2 Administrative Competencies
The Ministry of Environmental Protection, besides the protection of the coastal zone also manages and exercises the State control on the use of the natural environment. [62] In the field of natural resources priority is given to territorial management, decision making is carried out of the departmental sphere to the bodies of local self-government. [63]
2.3 Environmental Policy
- Development of a common state system of planning, drawing up projects and the building and exploitation of shoreline reinforcement structures.
- Establishing specialised bodies for prevention of accidents on the seas and elimination of the consequences and on state environmental control of the sea. [64]
3. Nature Conservation
3.1 Legislation and Regulations
- The Law on the Protection of the Natural Environment (1991), which has become the legislative base for nature protection in Ukraine, the most important one.
- The Law on the Nature Reserve Fund, covers biodiversity conservation aspects, (1992).
- Law on the Animal World, (1993).
- Law on the Plant World, (1999).
- Decrees of the President of Ukraine, for example on the Reservation of Virgin Land, on the Protection and Development of the Natural Reserves of Ukraine, on Wildlife Reserves in Ukraine.
- Parliamentary Resolution on the Red Book of Ukraine, (1992).
- Regulations for protection of inland seawaters and territorial sea waters from contamination and littering, (1996).
- Legislation which not only concerns nature conservation but is connected to it:
- The Land Code (1992)
- The Forest Code (1994)
- The Water Code (1995)
3.2 Administrative Competencies
The main governmental body responsible for environmental protection in Ukraine today is the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety. According to the Law on Environmental Protection, the Ministry has broad responsibilities, including overall management and exercise of state control over the use and protection of the natural environment. The MEPNS and its Central Board for Nature Reserves (established in 1994) are responsible for the control, governing and development at the national level. Special ministerial bodies of regional (oblast) and local level were organised for the practical implementation of nature conservation policy.
3.3 System of Protected Areas.
From 1994 onwards the protected areas system in Ukraine has been determined by the ëNational Programme on the future development of Nature Reservesí. The programme, endorsed by the Supreme Council of Ukraine provides in a strategy for scientific research and monitoring, legal and financial aspects of management, enlargement of protected sites and conservation of biodiversity.
The following types of protected areas are present in
Ukraine: strict nature reserves (zapovedniki), biosphere
reserves, natural national parks, wildlife sanctuaries,
monuments of nature, protected sites and regional landscape
parks.
4. Sectoral Development
4.1 Coastal Defence
Special protective constructions that have been built so far is protecting more than 150 km of seashore. Although most of these constructions are in good condition, they canít provide reliable protection of the entire shoreline in Ukraine. Further investments to shore protection have practically been drained. The volume of seabed deepening works has also been drastically decreased.
4.2 Recreation and Tourism
No information received.
4.3 Fisheries and Aquaculture
Changes in the ecosystems caused by take-off river water, sea pollution, decreasing water transparency, breaching fishery regulations and intrusion of alien species have led to drastical cuts in its bio-productivity. The Black Sea and the Azov Sea used to be very productive seas for fishery, with annually between 150,000 and 180,000 tons of fish and seaproducts. Nowadays the bulk has been reduced to a third of that amount. Fishery in the Azov Sea, which is a worldwide unique ecosystem, lost its economic importance almost completely. The reduced fish stock decreased the amount of workplaces in the coastal areas of the Black and the Azov Sea. Apart from fish products the Black Sea also produces other seaproducts such as mussel, algae and zoostera. Silting sand biotopes, due to moving and damping of soilwaste during seabed deepening, almost caused the full disappearance of oysters.
4.4 Transport
No information received.
4.5 Harbours and Shipping
No information received.
4.6 Industry
Industrial zones occupy parts of the coastal zone of Ukraine. They are located near sea ports or mineral ores. The most developed are coastal plots near the trade ports of Illichivsk, Odessa, Oivdenniy, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Kerch, Berdyansk and Mariupol. Industrial zones have also been constructed on the base of the Kamishburun fields of iron ores and on the salt pans of Krasnoperekopsk and Saky. Great rivers estuaries are practically free of industrial constructions, excluding the river South Bug. There are trends of heavy industry stagnation but stabilisation of other industry. It is obvious that coastal industry must decrease its negative impact on the environment. [65]
4.7 Agriculture
No information received.
5. Framework for Development of ICZM
In 1992 the Black Sea Coastal nations recognised the need
for protection of the Black Sea. The beginning of the
process of launching ICZM policy in Ukraine was laid by the
Ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea
held in Odessa (1993) where it was declared to confirm the
commitment to Integrated Coastal Zone Management and
sustainable development of coastal areas and the marine
environment under national jurisdiction. It was decided to
implement national coastal zone policies, including
legislative measures and economic instruments, in order to
ensure the sustainable development in the spirit of Agenda
21 of the Rio de Janeiro Declaration on the
Environment and Development (1992). Other conventions
signed and ratified are the Bucharest Convention, the ECE
Convention, the Ramsar Convention and MARPOL. Elaboration of
a national concept of introducing the ICZM system in Ukraine
went through a three-year preparatory stage. In 1994, a
group of Ukrainian experts advanced their proficiencies on
ICZM issues in the USA. In 1994 ñ1995 within the
framework of the international Programme for Environmental
Protection of the Black Sea (BSEP), a national report was
prepared on ICZM issues in Ukraine. The work conducted by
national conventions for applying ICZM systems in the Black
Sea countries was co-ordinated by PCU BSEP in
1996-1997.
6. National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
- In 1995 the following reports were issued:
- National report on ICZM
- National ICZM policies & Strategies
- On the boundaries of the coastal strip in Ukraine
- On the working network of environmental management bodies in the coastal zone
- On pilot projects applying ICZM
- Analysis of the laws of Ukraine having a direct link to decision making in environmental regulation, on their applicability for ICZM provision in condition of the transition period to a market economy.
- In 1995, two international symposiums were held in Odessa on the problems of the coastline of the seas of Ukraine. Organised by Eurocoast-Ukraina and the EUCC.
- Materials on principles for decision making on natural resources use in the coastal zone and public involvement in the process have been published by mass media in maritime regions. In 1995-1997, meetings were held by nongovernmental organisations on coastal zone issues.
- The principles of ICZM have been set down in the chief state programme document ëThe main guidelines of state policy of Ukraine in the sector of protection of the environment, the use of natural resources and provision of ecological safet, (1997)í.
- Training of specialists working in government bodies, scientific and educational institutions was carried out through special workshops offered by TACIS programme in co-operation with the Ministry of Environmental Safety.
- In 1994, a group of Ukrainian experts advanced their proficiencies on ICZM issues in the USA.
7. Problems and Constraints for the
Development of ICZM
- The conditions for creating an ICZM system in Ukraine today are difficult due to reforms in society and economy. Decisionmakers (both government and non-governmental) come and go which complicates the situation for ICZM. Proposals especially on institutional changes revoke resistance from existing bodies of state management.
- The main disadvantage of the operating scheme of administrative-territorial management affecting the decision-making is the poor division of authority between two levels of power, the state administration and local self government.
- In national legislation, including nature conservation, in the definition of the coastal strip of seas, the principle of management is lacking.
- There are many acute coastal zone issues in Ukraine. The grave ecological situation inhibits the development of tourism, mass recreation, harms the biological resource potential of the sea and coastal waters and lowers the living standard. [66]
- The existing legislative base concerning the use of natural resources in the coastal zone of Ukraine is not sufficiently clear. One of the main problems is the lack of an effective scheme with regard to the distribution of responsibilities and functions. [67]
- The current financial situation in Ukraine has
resulted in the delay of payment of salaries, the cutting
of fieldtrips and is especiallly visible in available
equipment. These are a few of the reasons why in many
cases the employees have to be really interested in their
work. On the other hand, it forces people to look for
other ways to earn an income, often resulting in a second
(commercial) job with the risk of conflicting interests.
A lack of academic specialists in the field of nature management, as an integrated education is not provided. This is not only felt in the academic world, but also at governmental level, especially at local level, where much depends on personal skills and attitudes. [68]