"Thousands of dolphins have died in the Black Sea"
Russia's war against Ukraine targets the country and its people. However, animals and nature also suffer from Russian attacks. The destruction of biological diversity in national parks has reached a critical level. The Tuzly-Lagoons National Park in the Odessa region is the only protected area in the south of Ukraine that was not taken over by the Russians. However, even there, the effects of the war are dramatic, as the head of the scientific department of the nature park, Ivan Rusev, says in an interview with ntv.de.
ntv.de: The Tuzly-Nationalpark is not occupied by the Russians, but closed to visitors, right?
Ivan Rusev: Yes, but we are the only national park in Ukraine whose staff can still work in their area and collect information about the war's effects. In other parks, our colleagues either live under occupation or have fled. However, only six kilometers of the 44-kilometer coastline monitored by the park remain to us due to mines.
Who do you work with in the park?
We have 45 employees, but some went to Europe after the invasion, and some were drafted into the army. Therefore, we currently have 30. There is a real labor shortage, especially among men who used to work as guards. Since the beginning of the war, six inspectors have been called up - one was killed, one is missing. We don't have enough inspectors to protect nature. So we work with volunteers, as well as the Water Police, who are also responsible for monitoring the area. However, the terrain is vast, so it is also patrolled by the military. And we have taken in refugee scientists from Mariupol, who were forced to leave the Meotida National Park due to the Russian occupation.
What consequences does the war have for the Tuzly-Nationalpark and the Black Sea?
We saw Russian ships in the Black Sea before the invasion that used strong sonar. This disturbed marine life. Our park was bombed, destroying bird habitats and driving away migratory birds. At night, Russian drones fly over the park, which are problematic for birds, especially for Flamingos, who nested in Ukraine for the first time last year. Drone attacks in our park have destroyed insect populations and plants that are important for migratory birds. We document these events.
And how does it work in the sea?
Since the beginning of the war, we monitor the Black Sea coast and especially the Dolphins. Many animals have washed up dead. We examined them, they showed no signs of injury - their deaths were not caused by poaching. Their undamaged condition suggested war effects. Likely, their acoustic system was damaged by sonar, leading to disorientation and death. Thousands of Dolphins have died since the war began. Fortunately, the number of dead Dolphins has decreased this year, which we attribute to the fact that the Russians no longer control the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
Is it possible to calculate how much damage the nature of the park has already sustained?
No, I cannot say that, we only count and provide information to the Environmental Ministry. But there are huge losses. For the dolphins, the question arises as to how the population of these animals can be restored in the future in the face of so many dead animals. Without them, the Black Sea would simply be dead.
Is there a reaction from the international community to the ecocide in Ukraine?
So far, there has been little reaction. These crimes are hard to prove. To prove them and get support, we spread information in various forums, with foreign experts and communities, also with the NABU in Germany, where I reported on the devastating effects of the war on nature in Ukraine. We have received support from Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria. By the way, there are also Russian researchers who have published on this topic.
What do they say?
Russian researchers link the unusual deaths of dolphins in the bays of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula to infectious diseases, not to the war. As an expert with 30 years of experience in infectious diseases, I disagree. Dolphins are also carriers of viruses and bacteria, but stress factors due to chemical, radiation, or sonar pollution can also trigger diseases and lead to death. The main problem are the effects of sonars or bombs, which often cause brain injuries in dolphins. Signals used near Sevastopol and Novorossiysk to protect against Ukrainian drones also endanger life in the Black Sea.
Do you have contacts with Russian environmentalists?
No. I used to have many colleagues in Russia with whom I corresponded and worked in research for some time. Now I have cut off all contacts. At the beginning of the large-scale invasion, I wrote them letters asking for support for Ukraine, but I either received no response or some replied that they were afraid to write anything related to the Ukraine issue.
Do you believe that the ecosystems of Ukraine can be restored if the war is over?
We will have to lobby for international support and are already in talks with various partners to de-mine the river deltas. We are also working on creating a large marine protected area for whale and dolphin species, which includes the area around the Snake Island. That would be an important step for the restoration of marine life after the war, also to protect large areas of the Black Sea from poachers. We are supported in this by the British organization Blue Marine Foundation. Furthermore, I am optimistic that Ukraine will be able to prove the ecocide. Then Russia will have to pay compensation.
Interview with Maryna Bratchyk by Ivan Rusev
The international community should take notice of the environmental damages caused by the war in Ukraine, as the effects extend beyond human casualties to impact wildlife such as dolphins, whose population is significantly declining due to war-related sonar usage. Furthermore, political tensions, like the attack on Ukraine, can lead to escalating environmental disasters, as seen in the destructive attacks on national parks and wildlife habitats.
Despite Russia's occupation of many Ukrainian regions, the Tuzly-Lagoons National Park continues to face challenges due to mines and drone attacks, affecting its dolphin population and other marine life, highlighting the tragic impact of war on environmental conservation efforts.
