Sovitsky marshes landscape reserve

The Sovytsia Swamps is a landscape reserve of national importance in Ukraine. It is located between the villages of Verenchanka (Zastavna district) andKlyvodyn (Kitsman district) in Chernivtsi region, in the valley of the river Sovytsia (hence the name).

The area is 105 hectares. The status was granted in 1994. It is under the jurisdiction of Kliwodyn village council and Verenchany village council.

The reserve protects a wetland landscape typical for Bukovyna, which has been preserved in its natural state. The reserve has ornithological value. It is a place of nesting and resting during the flights of a number of bird species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, including the black stork, hen harrier, gray crane, great kronshnik, and gray shrike. In total, the reserve is home to 57 species of vertebrates. There are 8 species of fish, 5 species of amphibians, and 5 species of mammals. It is somewhat less common to see badgers coming here in search of food.

The reserve stretches for 6.6 kilometers along the riverbed of the Sovytsia-Verenchanska River from the railway crossing in Verenchanka to the village of Klyvodyn in the Kitsman district. A string of bogs 50 to 400 meters wide crosses the hilly terrain. Among the objects of the reserve created by karst sinkholes is Bezdonnoye Lake, which is located 1 km north of Klyvodyn village. The 30-meter-diameter lake has sinkholes 10 meters wide and about 3.5 meters deep. Recently, new sinkholes have appeared, resulting in the Sovytsia River not having a stable channel, and water consumption is compensated for by feeding from its side tributaries.

Thus, the Sovytsia bogs are an interesting valley wetland landscape with trends of active karstification and gradual drainage.

The reserve is home to 57 species of vertebrates. The presence of large areas of open water in the vast thickets of coastal and aquatic vegetation create favorable conditions for the life and nesting of many species of birds. The area is home to 8 species of fish, 5 species of amphibians, and 5 species of mammals. In the adjacent open areas of land, there is a field harrier. Badgers are much less common, as they come here in search of food from nearby settlements.

The Sovytski Bogs Landscape Reserve of National Importance was established in accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 750 "On the Establishment of Reserves of National Importance" dated 10.12.1994 (750/94). The Reserve is a part of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine, protected as a national treasure, which is subject to a special regime of protection, reproduction and use.

The Reserve was established to preserve the typical wetland landscape of the region, which has retained its natural state in the floodplain of the Sovytsia-Verenchanska River and is subject to active karst processes.

The main tasks of the Reserve are:

• preservation of the valuable valley complex of the elongated wetland floodplain with numerous karst formations and diverse wetland vegetation from destruction, degradation and damage;
• protection of waterfowl and wading bird colonies during nesting and migration;
• maintaining the overall ecological balance in the region.

In accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine" (2456-12), any activity that contradicts the purpose and objectives of the Customer provided for in this Regulation and threatens the conservation of the natural complex is prohibited on the territory of the Customer, including

• land reclamation and any other works that may lead to a change in the Customer's hydrological regime;
• discharge of industrial, household and commercial wastewater and waste;
• any littering and pollution of the territory;
• geological exploration, development of mineral resources, any disturbance of soil cover, hydrological and hydrochemical regimes;
• any construction of structures, roads, linear and other transportation and communication facilities not related to the protection of the Customer's territory;
• all activities that may lead to deterioration of the animal feed base and their living conditions;
• destruction (burning) of vegetation and its remains;
• plowing of land;
• collection of rare and endangered species of plants, their flowers and fruits;
• unauthorized water use, haymaking, reed harvesting, etc;
• use of chemicals to control forest pests and diseases, except in certain situations when there is a threat to the existence of a protected natural complex in accordance with the law;
• storage of pesticides and agrochemicals on the territory of the Customer;
• grazing and cattle drives;
• introduction of new species of plants and animals (without appropriate, duly approved justifications of scientific institutions);
• hunting, except for the regulation of the number of certain species of wild animals that cause damage to the protected natural complex;
• training of hunting dogs;
• plowing or otherwise damaging, eliminating natural habitats of wild animals (dens, dens, nests, etc.);
• during the period of mass reproduction of wild animals, from April 1 to June 15, carrying out works and activities that are a source of increased noise and disturbance (shooting, blasting, fireworks, sanitary felling, rallies and other vehicle competitions);
• passage of all types of mechanized transport outside of public roads, except for the official transport of the Land Users, state environmental protection and inspection services, fire trucks;
• provision of land plots for construction;
• provision of certain land and water plots for economic use;
• other types of work that may lead to disruption of natural connections and natural processes, loss of scientific, environmental and aesthetic value of the protected natural complex.

On the territory of the Customer, in accordance with the established procedure, it is allowed to

• use it for environmental, aesthetic, educational, research, recreational and health purposes;
• carrying out restoration works and implementing measures to prevent changes in the natural complexes of the Customer as a result of negative anthropogenic impact or natural disaster;
• firefighting and sanitary measures that do not violate the Customer's regime.