Galician National Nature Park

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What could be more worthy of attention and protection than the unique forests and forest-steppe natural complexes of the Carpathian region? The Galician National Nature Park is the site of research and development, as well as active environmental education and tourism activities.

By the Decree of the President of Ukraine of August 9, 2004, the Galician National Nature Park was established within the Galician district of Ivano-Frankivsk region with the aim of preserving, restoring and rational use of typical and unique forest, meadow-steppe and wetland natural complexes and objects of special environmental, scientific, historical, cultural, recreational, educational and aesthetic values, and is subordinated to the State Committee of Forestry of Ukraine.

The park's land area is 14684.8 hectares, of which 12159.3 hectares are provided for permanent use, and 2525.5 hectares are included in the park without being seized from land users. The park is located on the border of two physical and geographical regions: The Ukrainian Carpathians (Predkarpattia region) and the southwestern part of the Eastern European Plain (Opillya region of the Western Ukrainian province of the Forest-Steppe zone). Due to this location, the territory is characterized by great landscape and biological diversity. Both Podillia and Carpathian species can be found in the vegetation and among the fauna. On the territory of the park, 45 species of plants and 37 species of animals were found that are representatives of the Red Data Book of Ukraine, 4 and 9 respectively - of the European Red List, and 6 species of plants and 158 species of animals protected by the Bern Convention.

More than 40 natural complexes and objects of scientific, environmental and recreational value (forest tracts with a total area of about 11 thousand hectares, wetland complexes - 2550 hectares, meadow-steppe areas and geological formations, etc.

There are hiking trails and ecological and educational paths in the most interesting parts of the park. More information is available at the address: Krylos village, 1 Halytska street.

The park partially covers the valley of the Dniester River and the riparian parts of the valleys of its tributaries - Limnytsia, Lukva, Hnyla Lypa, and contains the Burshtyn Reservoir, 38 ponds, and 5 lakes. The relief of the park is mostly hilly, dissected by valleys of permanent and temporary watercourses. The main river valleys have a considerable depth (up to 80-100 m), their bottoms are wide and sometimes swampy. Of particular interest are the unique beech forests, karst cliffs and caves on the left bank of the Lomnytsia. The oak groves, the swampy tract, and the deep karst lake Simlyn are also very interesting.

The territory is home to about 5 thousand species of animals (including 355 species of vertebrates) and 700 species of higher vascular plants. Within the park, 45 species of plants and 48 species of animals listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine have been registered. In the steppe areas "Kasova Hora" and "Kamenya" 25 species of plants and 8 species of animals listed in the Red Book of Ukraine were found, and six rare steppe communities listed in the Green Book of Ukraine were described: formations of hairy feather grass, beautiful feather grass, feather grass, narrow-leaved feather grass, pale fescue, and low sedge. In addition to the four species of feather grass, the Podil and Pachosky's zinnias, nine-silk thistle, big dream, old stonecrop, etc. are also protected here, as well as Red Book animals: owl, steppe ferret, and ermine.

Unique beech forests on the left bank of the Limnytsia River with many karst rocks, funnels and caves of limestone origin and 80-year-old oak groves, the Korcheva wetland tract, and the deep karst forest lake Simlyn add to the park's appeal and value.

In the past, oak and beech forests were the dominant type of vegetation in the park. These are mainly derivatives of oak-hornbeam and oak forests (represented by common oak and northern oak), beech groves.

Of great scientific and nature conservation value in the territory of the GNNP are the centers of meadow-steppe flora and rocky steppes formed on the southern slopes of the Opillya hilly ridges with outcrops of carbonate rocks and gypsum on the surface. The occurrences of pure gypsum in the form of crystalline gypsangrite in the park are endemic and rare and are represented by a special kind of coarse-grained, tightly compressed gypsum tiles. The formation of this rock, characteristic of Opillia, occurred during the drying of the warm Miocene sea that covered this area many millions of years ago, due to the oversaturation of calcium sulfate in its waters. With the retreat of the sea, the heat-intensive gypsum strata of the ancient sea shores were exposed to the surface and became relict rare centers of growth of the ancient Mediterranean flora.

According to approximate estimates of experts, at least 12-15 thousand species of insects can be found in the Park. According to the preliminary data and forecasts of entomologists, about 700-800 species of butterflies alone - day and night together - will be found, and 1500-2000 species of beetles.

The most valuable wetlands in terms of science and conservation are the Burshtyn Reservoir, the Dniester River, and fish hatcheries. These reservoirs play an important role in preserving the species richness of birds. During migrations, up to 20 thousand birds of 85 species congregate here, up to 3.5 thousand birds of 40 species are recorded during wintering, and 57 species of birds breed in the park.

The Red Data Book representatives of the fauna include badger, long-tailed owl, lesser spotted eagle, black stork, and others. Typical "Red Data Book" representatives of the fauna whose life is associated with water bodies are: sterlet, cutthroat trout, European grayling, white-eyed duck, eider, long-nosed molehill, osprey, great krone, river otter, etc.

In the forests, the typical inhabitants are red deer, European chamois, wild pig, red mole, yellow-throated mouse, common vole, gray and forest wolves, badger, common marten and common fox, large and small cuddly marmots, common copperhead, and European hedgehog.

There were cases of rare brown bear and forest cat sightings. In the open spaces, common hamster, gray hare, black ferret, weasel, stone marten, European mole are numerous. Rare species include the ermine and the steppe ferret. Muskrat, water rat, river otter are typical for wetland habitats, and European mink is very rare. As a result of the research conducted by the engineer of the Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine A.-T. Bashta, 9 species of bats were found within the park: big and water noctules, late noctule, dwarf and forest noctule, dozier noctule, common earwig, European broad-eared bat, and in one of the caves a reproductive colony (formed only by females) of the lesser horseshoe bat with about 160 individuals was found.

The employees of the Galician National Nature Park have implemented a number of measures aimed at protecting and restoring the number of rare bird species in the park during the period of its operation:

construction of hollows for the long-tailed owl;
repair of nests of birds of prey and black stork;
closure of hunting in the fish hatchery ponds (the park's economic zone), where the white-eyed duck is found;
environmental education in the media, secondary and higher education institutions, and among fish farm workers;
strengthening control over the implementation of economic activities in water bodies, forests, and other natural areas to prevent damage to the avifauna;
application of modern scientific developments in hunting management;
conducting more detailed surveys of the park territory and its surroundings to identify reproduction sites of species of concern for further protection.

Often, the designation of a national park or reserve is preceded by the creation of one or more local nature reserve sites. As a result, a large NNP actually absorbs the previously established NRFs. However, their status is usually preserved.

The territory of the Galician National Nature Park includes the following protected areas of Ukraine:

Kasova Gora (complex), a natural monument of national importance.
Wildlife rehabilitation center

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has been operating in the Galician National Nature Park since 2007 to rehabilitate and subsequently return to the wild representatives of the local fauna who got into trouble. It accepts only sick or injured animals under various circumstances, as well as young animals that cannot find food on their own and are doomed to die in the wild.

A log is kept of observations on the behavior of animals in captivity, and they are vaccinated and treated. Proper conditions are created for their stay, as close as possible to their existence in the wild. After treatment and rehabilitation, only those animals are released that can live in their usual environment again. If you wish, you can get closer to the inhabitants of the wildlife rehabilitation center and even feed a small wild deer from a bottle.