Various harmful substances from the city of Odessa and other settlements bordering the protected area may enter the Kuyalnik Estuary and small watercourses within the Park. Additionally, contamination with organochlorine compounds may result from surface runoff from agricultural lands. Resolving the issue of illegal landfills, which existed for many years before the Park was established, also requires joint action with local authorities.
A washing and steaming station of the Odessa Railway operated for a long time on the territory that was later incorporated into the Park. Following its decommissioning, this area and the cascade of ponds have gradually been naturally reclaimed. However, the soils and bottom sediments of some ponds remain contaminated with transformed petroleum products, most of which have lost their toxic properties.
Parts of the estuary’s water area and adjacent park territories may be subject to anthropogenic pollution in the form of atmospheric emissions due to their close proximity to the city of Odesa and numerous industrial facilities (the Odesa Thermal Power Plant and district boiler houses in the Peresypsky District), infrastructure facilities (the bypass road, the “Odessa-Sortuvna” railway station), etc.
As an extraordinary measure to improve the hydroecological condition of the Kuyalnik Estuary, a hydraulic structure was built in recent years to connect the estuary with the Odessa Gulf of the Black Sea. This saved the Kuyalnik Estuary from nearly drying up completely, but did not resolve the issue of its increasing salinity. Today, salinity significantly exceeds optimal levels and may lead to the loss of the therapeutic properties of the mud and brine. In addition, the significant regulation of the Velykyi Kuyalnik River channel hinders the estuary’s natural replenishment and the inflow of fresh water into it.
Among the global environmental challenges facing the Kuyalnik National Nature Park are climate change and desertification. Their consequences will include rising seasonal temperatures, droughts, wildfires, disruption of the estuary’s water-salt balance, and increased wind erosion of the soil.
The spread of non-native plant and animal species can have significant consequences for the Park’s ecosystems. This primarily applies to flora and fauna from other continents that are capable of successfully establishing themselves within the Kuyalnik National Nature Park and displacing native species.
Military operations pose a significant and widespread threat to the natural ecosystems of the Kuyalnik National Nature Park. As a result of rocket attacks, there is an increased risk of highly toxic rocket fuel components entering the estuary’s ecosystem, causing fires, and damaging rare habitat types. Explosions frighten animals, which particularly affects birds during the nesting season.