International partners will help Ukraine restore wetlands and ecosystems in the north of the country. The areas of cooperation were discussed by Deputy Minister for European Integration Yevhen Fedorenko with the steering committee of the project "Promoting Sustainable Livestock Management and Ecosystem Conservation in Northern Ukraine". This international technical assistance project is implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine (UNDP) with the support of the Global Environment Facility.

According to the Deputy Minister, despite the war, Ukraine continues to respond to the challenges posed by climate change. In this context, the conservation and restoration of degraded ecosystems and peatlands is an important component of achieving climate neutrality. After all, just one hectare of wetlands is about 2 tons of absorbed CO2.

"In addition, we are moving towards implementing the principles of the Green Deal and joining the EU. Last week, the European Parliament adopted the Law on Nature Restoration. The document sets targets for peatland watering by year. This is what the European Union is striving for, and therefore, Ukraine should also strive for. Thanks to the help of our partners, we will manage to show results and become a full-fledged member of the European family in the future," said Yevhen Fedorenko.

The UNDP-GEF project "Promoting Sustainable Livestock Management and Ecosystem Conservation in Northern Ukraine" will operate in Ukraine until 2026. It is focused on seven regions: Volyn, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, and Chernihiv. The goal is to create a model of a sustainable food system for these regions that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil fertility and conserve endangered species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Under the project, comprehensive habitat conservation and restoration plans will be developed, as well as a measurement, verification and reporting system to assess and reduce greenhouse gas flows to peatlands.

This work is fully synchronized with point 8 of the President of Ukraine's Peace Formula, "Environmental Security," which not only provides for the calculation of environmental damage but also aims to demine and restore nature.