How is the war in Ukraine affecting the environment?

After months of online discussions, the pilot-project RETURN (“Restoring Environments in Ukraine”) had its first face-to-face meeting during a workshop from 21 August to 24 August, involving participants from SLU and the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA).

The goal of this initiative, funded by Swedish institute, is to share knowledge and build capacity on environmental assessment and restoration. Discussions at the workshop focused on to what extent and degree different ecosystems in Ukraine have been damaged during the Russian invasion and how to further assess this damage in challenging conditions.

Also, as part of a broader discussion on how to restore damaged environments, SLU outlined its extensive experience on questions of environmental rehabilitation/restoration. The discussions will continue online for the remainder of the year with the goal of broadening our cooperation and seeking additional funding to actually conduct proper environmental assessments and/or restoration projects.

During their visit, the Ukrainan research team also met with Vice-Chancellor Maria Knutsson Wedel and Pro Vice-Chancellor, international relations, Ylva Hillbur.