oa Ecological Risks of the Impact of War on Nature Reserves in Ukraine (Using the Example of the Azovo-Sivash National Nature Park)

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the occupation of the peninsula, control over the jackal population has ceased. The increase in the number of jackals may be contributing to the predation on young deer, indirectly supported by the increase in grassland cover. Deer and mouflon are not attractive prey for jackals due to their size, so their populations remain stable, as does the level of shrubs.

These changes create conditions for potential risks to the ecosystem, including the possible decline in the population of certain ungulate species or even their complete disappearance. The situation requires immediate attention and active measures to restore the ecological balance. Natural reserves like the Azovo-Sivash National Nature Park require additional monitoring and management to preserve species diversity and ecosystem stability. This may include the restoration of predator population control programs and research into their impact on ungulate populations to avoid the negative consequences of this dynamic.

The methodology involves processing raster images of objects from different layers of the Dynamic World V1 subprogram, calculating pixel loads for specific types of objects using built-in program layers, and transforming the obtained data into ratios of actual object areas to the total area of the territory. Monthly averages were calculated for each object type. The observation period was selected from December 2015 to April 2023, taking into account the maximum capabilities of the Dynamic World V1 program for data reproduction.