History
Kuialnytskyi NNP
Granting the Kuialnyk Estuary a protected status took many years and was made possible through the efforts of scientists, academic institutions, and public organizations. The establishment of the protected area was preceded by extensive scientific research focused on biodiversity, landscape features, hydrological regime, and more.
The work to include the natural complexes of the Kuialnyk Estuary in Ukraine’s Nature Reserve Fund was initiated in 2009 by the State Environmental Protection Department in the Odesa region. As part of the project “Sustainable Land Use of the Eurasian Steppes”, the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds, with the involvement of specialists from the I.I. Mechnikov Odesa National University, developed a scientific rationale for the creation of the Kuialnytskyi National Nature Park.
Within the framework of the international project “Enhanced Economic and Legal Tools for the Conservation of Steppe Biodiversity, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (Steppe Biodiversity)” (DCI-ENV/2010/221-005), the scientific justification for the Park’s establishment was further refined during 2011–2013.
Since 2011, numerous meetings have been held at the Odesa Regional State Administration and district state administrations across the Odesa region to address the establishment of the Kuialnytskyi National Nature Park and coordinate its boundaries.
The issue was considered during sessions of village councils and at meetings of the standing committee on ecology, nature management, emergency situations, and their consequences of the Odesa Regional Council. Relevant consultations were also held with land users and natural resource users, based on which the area of the future Park was adjusted.
In 2018, the Kuialnyk Estuary was granted the status of a resort of national importance in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Declaring the Natural Areas of the Kuialnyk Estuary in Odesa Region a Resort of National Importance.” The regional authorities had been advocating for this status since 2014, emphasizing the “particularly valuable, unique natural therapeutic resources” of the body of water—brine (highly mineralized water) and peloids (therapeutic mud). These resources are used to treat disorders of the nervous and digestive systems, the musculoskeletal system, and more.
In March 2021, the government approved the creation of the Kuialnytskyi National Nature Park, and on January 1, 2022, the Park was officially established by presidential decree in the Berezivskyi and Odesa districts of Odesa region. The purpose of the Park’s establishment is to preserve, restore, and ensure the effective use of the natural complexes and features within the Kuialnyk Estuary basin that hold exceptional environmental, therapeutic, historical, cultural, scientific, educational, and aesthetic value.
The territory of the Kuialnytskyi National Nature Park includes 10,800.8867 hectares of state and communal land, of which 3,490.6753 hectares are allocated to the Park for permanent use, and 7,310.2114 hectares are included in its territory without withdrawal from existing land users.