Ukrainian Scientists Battle to Save Rare Plants Amid Russian Invasion
In the basement laboratory of the National Dendrological Park Sofiyivka, located in the city of Uman, Larisa Kolder tends meticulously to dozens of specimens of Moehringia hypanica between frequent power outages. This rare flower, listed as threatened in Ukraine's Red Book of endangered species, grows naturally in only a handful of wild locations, primarily within the Aktovsky canyon in Buzkyi Gard national nature park in Mykolaiv oblast. Just months earlier, Kolder and her team received a mere 23 seeds of this precious plant. From those, only two successfully grew into plants that could be cloned in their laboratory. Today, however, her lab nurtures a small grove of Moehringia seedlings, including 80 that have firmly put down roots. This represents a vital, albeit modest, victory for biodiversity conservation amidst the ongoing devastation of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The Loss of Key Research Sites
Before Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, researchers at Kolder's lab enjoyed productive collaborations with Ukraine's leading botanical experts. These partnerships included scientists at the renowned Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea and the Nova Kakhovka experimental research station in Kherson. Over the past decade, these critical hubs for biodiversity research have been lost to occupation, creating a profound scientific void. Volodymyr Hrabovyi, the acting director of Sofiyivka, notes that the Nikitsky Botanical Garden was long considered the premier botanical research site in Ukraine. It housed extensive collections of rare plants and conducted pioneering research on adapting species to changing climates. For instance, it was the first site in Ukraine to cultivate persimmons, starting in 1819, and eventually became home to more than 50 varieties of the fruit.
Today, Hrabovyi and his colleagues in Uman have no contact with those research sites. They believe that all Ukrainian researchers in Crimea and all but one in Kherson have fled the occupied territories. Fellow scientist Iryna Denysko starkly describes the communication blackout, stating it is "worse than the Berlin Wall." When considering the widespread environmental destruction Russian forces have inflicted across Ukraine—including in now-occupied national parks like Askania-Nova, where trenches were dug on virgin steppe and endangered animals were transferred—the botanists fear the worst for the botanical gardens. "Nothing is sacred to them," Hrabovyi says, expressing concern that many rare plant species may have been destroyed or illicitly sold.
A Biodiversity Hotspot Under Threat
Although Ukraine covers less than 6% of Europe's landmass, it is home to an estimated 35% of the continent's biodiversity. Many of the country's rare and endemic species are concentrated in the steppe zone and along the coasts and mountains of Crimea. Oleksii Vasyliuk, a zoologist and member of the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group, emphasises the scale of the loss. "This territory that is taken, it's almost 40% of all the agricultural land of Ukraine," he says. He adds that the country's largest national parks and reserves, including one of the world's oldest steppe reserves, Askania-Nova, are primarily in that zone and have fallen under occupation. Due to extensive mining, "this territory will be inaccessible to us for many decades, or maybe even centuries," Vasyliuk warns.
For this reason, Ukraine is diligently documenting instances of what it terms "ecocide," hoping the International Criminal Court will recognise Russian crimes against the environment as war crimes once the conflict concludes. The devastation is not limited to flora; fauna has also suffered, as seen with the transfer of endangered animals like the Kulan, a subspecies of onager, from reserves like Askania-Nova.
The Struggle to Continue Vital Work
In this challenging climate, the researchers at Sofiyivka Park have emerged as leaders among Ukraine's remaining botanists. Founded in 1796 as an English landscape garden by a Polish noble, Sofiyivka is now a research institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It is also a public park, designated as one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine, located near the grave of Rebbe Nachman, which draws large Hassidic Jewish pilgrimages annually. Despite its historical and cultural significance, the park's scientific work faces immense obstacles. With some colleagues enlisted and serving on the frontlines, and power outages lasting up to 15 hours a day, completing laboratory work is a constant struggle.
Hrabovyi shares that one leading researcher at the laboratory is turning 60, meaning he can resign from military service. "He was on the frontline for all these years," working as a tank crew commander, and "he is happy to return back in a couple of months." Despite these hardships, researchers like Larisa Kolder persist in their vital mission to preserve endangered plants.
Microclonal Propagation: A Precise Science
In the microclonal plant propagation laboratory, Kolder employs meticulous techniques. She fills test tubes with an agar scaffold and transfers seeds to grow under sterile conditions using a hood fitted with bactericidal filters. Once the plants have developed, she faces the most difficult step: transferring them into peat discs, which involves transitioning from sterile to non-sterile conditions. In a separate room, the plants continue their development until they are ready for planting. In a landmark moment, one of the 80 Moehringia seedlings rooted in the Sofiyivka lab is being transferred to the park's arboretum. This marks the first time the flower will grow outside its native Mykolaiv region, a symbolic and practical step towards securing its future.
The significance of this work weighs heavily on the team. Hrabovyi reflects, "If the people who do this research disappear, and that material disappears, then the Earth will lose." Their efforts represent a resilient stand to protect Ukraine's natural heritage against the backdrop of war, ensuring that rare species like Moehringia hypanica have a fighting chance for survival.
