The flora of Transcarpathia, which occupies 2% of the territory of Ukraine, is a unique treasure of natural resources that requires careful treatment and protection. The flora of the region includes about 1,900 species of higher spore and seed plants, which make up half of the species richness of the country. Along with introduced plants, more than 2,600 species of plants grow here, including many relics preserved here from past geological eras, endemics that grow only in this region, alpine, and arcto-alpine species, as well as rare species of flora listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Plant life provides humans with extremely diverse resources: food, medicinal, industrial, agricultural (pastures and hayfields), and recreational resources. On July 27th, the environmental quest “Journey to the Kingdom of Flora” was held precisely for the purpose of getting acquainted with the diversity of the Carpathian floristic region, increasing and deepening knowledge of the flora of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Active participants in the quest were local youth and IDP children resting in a camp at the parish of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Mukachevo. The event was conducted by Olha Velychkanych, IERS expert, head of the Department of Biology and Research and Experimental Work of the Transcarpathian Regional Ecological and Naturalistic Center for Students Youth (TRENCSY).
During the event, the children consolidated their knowledge about the importance of plants in nature and human life, the floral diversity of the Silver Earth, and also had the opportunity to test their knowledge while completing the tasks of the eco-quest. At the stops, young naturalists demonstrated their knowledge of medicinal plants of the region and their use in traditional medicine, young foresters practiced their awareness of the species composition of trees in the Carpathian forests, young botanists recognized plants by their leaves, young ethnologists guessed riddles about plants, among which there were plants – symbols of Ukraine and red book representatives of the flora. Decipherers deciphered and explained the meaning of the statement about the importance of preserving nature and the responsible attitude of Man to all living things.
During the quest, there was an atmosphere of excitement, healthy competition, and a desire to demonstrate one’s knowledge in the best possible way. All teams did a great job. The victory was won by the team “God created nature”, the second place was won by the teams “Sunflower of God” and “Hydrangea”, the third place was won by “Daisy” and “Explorers of flora”. We can say with confidence that the participants of the event will keep the love for nature in their hearts and our children will become good defenders and careful owners of their native land in the future!
The event was held within the framework of the project “Churches, religious and public organizations for the environmental of national minorities”, implemented by the Interreligious and Environmental Civil Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) (head by Alexander Bokotey) in cooperation with the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband NABU International ) under with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt) project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).
Informational Service of IRCEF