Scientists from UzhNU will work to preserve the ecosystem of the Synevyr National Park as part of the HUSKROUA programme
On Thursday, 24 July, the information centre of Uzhhorod National University hosted the initial conference of the project ‘Introduction of monitoring of wetlands of international importance in the Carpathian region’ within the framework of the HUSKROUA programme. The Media Centre found out what will be done within the framework of this project, what role our university will play and who else will work on its implementation.
The project aims to protect the ecosystems of the Synevyr National Nature Park (Ukraine), the Poloniny National Park headquartered in Stakciny (Slovakia) and the Romşila National Nature Park – Maramureşului Natural Park (Romania). Scientists from each of the parties are involved in the implementation of the key tasks of the project: from Ukraine – Uzhhorod National University, which is also the main partner; from Slovakia – Žilina University, the Research Institute of High Mountain Biology and the Technical University in Cluj-Napoca; and from Romania.
The international team was welcomed by the project coordinator, Professor Natalia Kablak, Head of the Department of Geodesy, Land Management and Geoinformatics. Representatives of the Transcarpathian Regional Council and the regional military administration also attended the opening ceremony.
In her welcoming speech, Vice-Rector of UzhNU Myroslava Lendiel emphasised: "I am proud that Uzhhorod National University is among the five most successful institutions in the Zakarpattia in terms of grants received. During the previous round of cross-border programme competitions, we attracted over €1 million in cooperation with various partners. We are currently preparing new applications and hope for successful projects. Such success would not have been possible without the teams of true enthusiasts at our university.
In particular, a team from the Geography, Mathematics, and History and International Relations departments is involved in the implementation of this project.
The research part of the project will be carried out by scientists from the Faculty of Geography: ‘Within the framework of this project, we will carry out comprehensive monitoring using modern technologies,’ explains Ivan Kalynych, Dean of the Faculty of Geography. "We have already done a bathymetry survey of the lake bed and conducted a lidar survey to create a comprehensive 3D model. Forest areas within a 500 m radius of the lake will be selected to monitor the impact on the lake and analyse the risks to it. We will install a water post to continuously monitor the water level, as well as a modern station to measure precipitation. We will also study biodiversity and the chemical composition of the water. To date, we have already conducted a survey for the presence of pests in the forest. We have also completed aerial photography of Lake Hlukhanya, where we will study biodiversity and determine the cause of the decline in surface water.
The project is co-financed by the INTERREG VI-A NEXT Programme ‘Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine’ 2021-2027. The total budget is €1,005,964.14. Of this, the EU grant for UzhNU is €182,476, and the university's co-financing share is €20,275.12.
The project will last 24 months and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2027.
