Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources: Ukraine continues cooperation with Finland on water quality and biodiversity monitoring

First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi and representatives of the Ministry met with Ismo Tiainen, Director General of Administration and International Affairs at the Ministry of the Environment of Finland.

During the meeting, the participants discussed Ukraine’s needs and ideas for a joint project to support the creation of a biodiversity and landscape monitoring system, including:

• the possibility of using remote sensing methods to monitor landscapes and biodiversity;
• cooperation in developing a methodology for biodiversity monitoring in Ukraine;
• defining the structure of the Monitoring Centre;
• development of software for collecting, accumulating and analysing biodiversity data;
• presenting Finland’s experience in organising monitoring in accordance with EU requirements.

“We have a fruitful result of our joint work with the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The project on biodiversity monitoring will be finalised and submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland by the end of August 2024. We are strengthening ties with European biodiversity monitoring communities and cooperation platforms. Strengthening international cooperation between Ukraine and Finland is an exchange of experience and an opportunity to attract financial, technical and expert assistance in restoring the water and biodiversity monitoring system in Ukraine during the war and post-war periods,” said Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi.