In celebration of International Mother Earth Day 2026, the charitable organization “Beremitskoe Biosphere Foundation,” in partnership with the Beremitskoe Nature Park, with the support of Agricultural Team Ukraine and in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine, held an environmental education event for children and youth from neighboring communities in the Chernihiv region.
The theme of Earth Day 2026—“Our Power, Our Planet” — is very much in line with what we have been doing in Beremitske for many years. It reminds us that environmental protection begins with concrete actions by individuals, communities, organizations, and partners who work daily to preserve nature, clean air, water, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
The event was attended by children from the families of Ukrainian defenders, as well as children from the families of internally displaced persons, and for them this day was not only an opportunity to connect with nature, but also a chance to be in a safe space, get a change of scenery, feel a sense of calm, and see how restoration can take place not only in nature, but also in society. The event was based on the simple idea that nature is a living system in which everything is interconnected: soil, plants, animals, water, air, weather, and time do not exist in isolation; they influence one another and together form a single ecosystem. This hands-on observation helped participants better understand why it is important to preserve the natural balance, support biodiversity, and treat the areas where we live with responsibility. During organized excursions through the Beremitske Nature Park, the children saw how the landscape is changing, how vegetation is gradually recovering, how different species coexist, and how nature is regaining its strength after destruction and prolonged human intervention. Since 2015, our charitable organization has been working to restore the unique ecosystems of the Ukrainian Polissya to the state in which they existed before significant human impact, and one of the key areas of our work is the renaturalization of former agricultural lands, the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, the development of environmental education, scientific and educational work, and sustainable ecotourism.
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An important milestone in this work was a project implemented in 2025 with the support of the Dutch government, aimed at increasing biodiversity in the Beremitskoe Nature Park. The project comprised two key components: increasing the diversity of herbaceous plants and increasing the diversity of tree species. This work is particularly important in the wake of industrial logging, fires, and destruction, some of which were linked to the consequences of war—specifically drone and missile attacks—as well as additional human-induced pressure amid challenging economic conditions. We recognize that the restoration of nature cannot be separated from the restoration of communities: where a living ecosystem emerges, space opens up for education, tourism, research, dialogue, engaging youth, and new opportunities for local development; therefore, the ecotourism initiatives of the “Beremitske” Nature Park are based on the simple principle of “caring for and protecting the environment.”
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We invite partners, donors, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and local communities to join us in our collaborative efforts to restore nature and support people. The Beremitske Nature Park is not only a biodiversity conservation area; it is a place where children and adults can learn through hands-on experiences, restore their inner balance, better understand the value of the environment, and feel a sense of belonging to the community’s future.
Together, we can create more opportunities like this for nature, for children, for communities, and for Ukraine.
