Ukraine Nature Network: a platform to document and disseminate information on environment and nature conservation initiatives in Ukraine in the context of the war
Projektdurchführung
Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg
Forschungs- und Transferzentrums "Nachhaltigkeit
und Klimafolgenmanagement"
Ulmenliet 20
21033 Hamburg
Zielsetzung
The main objective of the project “Ukraine Nature Network” is:
“To set-up and maintain a platform to congregate and disseminate information on environment projects in Ukraine, in the context of the current war. The platform is designed to act as a central hub for information on ongoing and planned environmental projects in Ukraine, especially those that intend to address the many impacts and damages associated with the war”.
This includes data on project objectives, methodologies, outcomes, and their positive impacts on local ecosystems.
The specific objectives of the project “Ukraine Nature Network” are:
a) To document and promote projects related to the conservation of Ukraine’s diverse natural resources, including its forests, rivers, wildlife, and biodiversity, as they struggle with the war and suffer the impacts of the conflict.
b) To link the stakeholders working in the field of nature conservation and foster practices that ensure sustainable development across Ukraine. This includes promoting the use of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and waste management to minimise the environmental impacts of the war.
c) To increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues facing Ukraine, in connection with the war. This will be achieved by supporting the set-up and undertaking of educational programmes at universities, co-organising specialist workshops, and campaigns that inform the public about the special need to promote environmental conservation and foster sustainable practices during and after war times.
The key themes and focus of the project are:
a) Matters related to soil (including agriculture);
b) Forests and forests conservation;
c) Waste management;
d) Energy production.
Over the past years, numerous projects have sought to support the protection and restoration of Ukraine’s natural environment, addressing critical issues such as water and soil pollution, ecosystem and habitat restoration, and forest conservation. However, information on these initiatives has remained scattered, unintegrated, and often difficult to access. The prevalence of misinformation further complicates efforts to accurately track and coordinate conservation work. The Ukraine Nature Network addresses these challenges by providing a central hub that links diverse stakeholders—researchers, practitioners, governmental bodies, and NGOs—working on nature conservation and sustainable development.
Arbeitsschritte
The project “Ukraine Nature Network” was undertaken over a period of 24 months and consisted of 3 phases. The description of the work in each phase is as follows:
Phase 1 – Introduction (Month 1 to Month 3)
This phase entails all procedures related to the formalisation of the cooperation with the local partners, preparation of a schedule of events, workshops and technical activities.
Phase 2 – Operational (Month 4 to Month 21)
This phase encompasses the following activities:
• Establish the information hub, with a dedicated multi-feature web site, gathering information on current and planned projects, to promote them.
• Set-up a mailing list to facilitate collaboration among environmental NGOs, government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector, on the one hand, as well as international funding agencies on the other, encouraging joint work in projects.
• Set-up the “Ukraine Nature Network-Germany Partnership” to link German and Ukraine higher education institutions interested to develop new, join projects.
• Share resources and information via the platform and social media, so as to maximise the impact on current and future projects on conservation and restoration efforts.
• Promote opportunities education, awareness and training on matters related to nature conservation.
• Co-organise courses to be offered by the partner universities, offering students the opportunity to learn and possibly engage in projects as part of their courses and in the context of BSc and MSc thesis, as well as doctoral research.
• Coordination or support to the preparation at least four project applications, to be submitted to international agencies, to support nature conservation efforts in Ukraine, in collaboration with local partners.
Phase 3 – Consolidation (Month 22 to Month 24)
This phase entails all procedures related to the consolidation of the network, evaluation of its performance and outputs, and possible follow-up activities. In Phase 3, a strategy to ensure the sustainability of the project will be designed, aiming at a long-term engagement (at least 5 years).
Ergebnisse
By the end of the project, all three specific objectives of the “Ukraine Nature Network” were fully achieved.
Objective (a) was met by documenting and promoting on the website a broad range of projects (48) related to the conservation of Ukraine’s natural resources, grouped into energy, soil, waste, nature, and education, and clearly linked to the geographic areas where they were implemented. Objective (b) was fulfilled through effective linking of stakeholders working in nature conservation and fostering sustainable development practices across Ukraine, including the preparation of joint project proposals (8) and scientific papers (4), engagement through offline and online meetings, participation in events, a dedicated WhatsApp group with 37 participants, a regular newsletter reaching over 500 email contacts, attendance at in-person conferences, as well as promoting core partners on the website.
Objective (c) was achieved by significantly increasing public awareness and understanding of war-related environmental issues via university-level lectures, co-organised specialist workshops, collecting scientific papers on the website, and the development of Ukraine Nature Network social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). In addition, the educational section on the project website provided accessible learning materials and information on relevant initiatives, further supporting outreach and fostering sustainable practices during and after wartime.
Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
All communication and dissemination activities were strategically designed to engage identified actors and encourage them to join and actively contribute to the Ukraine Nature Network.
Key events, including the first online partner meeting, the Ukraine Nature Network Forum in Ukraine, the Hamburg sustainability session, the Project Pitch event, Navigating polycrisis together in Hamburg were organised with structured agendas and expert presentations. The project was also presented at a wide range of events: Ukrainian Researchers in Germany, Woche der Umwelt, IAMO Forum 2024, POCHEN Biennale, CEECON 2024, the HAW poster session, TransLearnN Project, ConnectED project, and the Joint Conference on European Land Use.
The project’s visibility was further enhanced through media coverage, and dissemination via online platforms such as Build Ukraine Back Better, the BUP newsletter, and the HAW Hamburg website.
Social media pages were developed on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, with regular posts sharing event updates and relevant news. A regular newsletter, distributed every 3–4 weeks to a curated contact list of around 500 individuals and organisations, kept stakeholders informed and invited further participation.
Fazit
Over the course of implementation, the project’s approach was adjusted to better reflect stakeholder needs, institutional capacities, and the evolving context in Ukraine, while remaining fully aligned with the original objectives. The information hub developed into a more comprehensive web platform than initially planned, with an expanded project database, educational section, organisation and project registration options, and enhanced visibility for core partners. Communication also shifted from a simple mailing list to a multi-channel model, combining a regular newsletter, a dedicated messaging group, and both online and in-person meetings to support more dynamic networking.
The originally envisaged “Ukraine Nature Network–Germany Partnership” was effectively broadened into a wider international cooperation framework. While German institutions remained central, the partnership was extended to include additional European universities and research organisations, notably through the pitch event and subsequent joint activities. This adjustment from a primarily bilateral to a multilateral approach enabled the development of more joint project proposals and scientific outputs than initially foreseen and helped to consolidate a stronger international network.