National parks of Ukraine
National nature parks of Ukraine are preservation territories that are part of the Nature-Preservation Fund of Ukraine. The total area protected by national parks is approximately, for an average of but a median of only at Zalissia. The largest national park is Podilski Tovtry in Khmelnytskyi Oblast at and the smallest park is Derman–Ostroh National Nature Park, at less than.
This category of the Nature-Preservation Fund was mainly established after the fall of the Soviet Union. There were very few parks in Ukraine and most of them were in the West.
List
| Name | Ukrainian name | Photo | Area | Location | Year | Description | |
| Azov–Syvash | Азово-Сиваський | 52154 | Kherson Oblast | 1993 | Located on Byriuchyi Island in the northwestern Azov Sea. The park was created to protect the unique coastal environment of the northwestern Azov. It is particularly important as a stop on the flyway for migratory birds, with over a million birds visiting each year. | ||
| Bile Ozero | Білоозерський | 7014 | Kyiv Oblast | 2009 | As of 2014, the park appeared to be closed to the public and the legal status unclear. | ||
| Boikivshchyna | Бойківщина | 12240 | Lviv Oblast | 2019 | Located in the Carpathians, near the border with Slovakia. | ||
| Bug Gard | Бузький Гард | 6138 | Mykolaiv Oblast | 2009 | Covers an area along the Southern Bug River in south-central Ukraine. At this point, the Southern Bug River cuts through the southern edge of the Ukrainian Shield. | ||
| Carpathian | Карпатський | 50303 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | 1980 | Carpathian National Nature Park is the first national park of Ukraine and one of the biggest national parks of this country. | ||
| Charming Harbor | Чарівна гавань | 6270 | Crimea | 2009 | Covers a coastal sector of the Tarkhankut Peninsula on the Black Sea. The park protects and exhibits steppe landscape as it descends to the seacoast in a semi-arid environment and with dramatic cliffs and rock formations. | ||
| Cheremosh | Черемоський | 7118 | Chernivtsi Oblast | 2009 | A collection of three reserves in the northeastern section of the Carpathian Mountains, located in southwestern Ukraine. The park highlights the highly varied geology of the northeastern Carpathians, as well as the deep spruce forests of the region. | ||
| Derman–Ostroh | Дермансько-Острозький | 1648 | Rivne Oblast | 2009 | Sits in a river valley that separates the southern edge of the Polesian Lowland, and the northern edge of the Podolian Upland in northwestern Ukraine. The terrain is a mixture of pine-oak forest and marshy river lowlands. | ||
| Desna–Stara Huta | Деснянсько-Старогутський | 16215 | Sumy Oblast | 1999 | Covers a middle section of the Desna River in northeastern Ukraine, representing the variety of wetland and mixed forest landscapes of the eastern Polesia region. The park contains two sections, one on the floodplains of the Desna, the other in the southern region of the Bryansk forest on the Russian border. | ||
| Dniester Canyon | Дністровський каньйон | 10830 | Ternopil Oblast | 2010 | Follows Dniester Canyon, the largest canyon in Ukraine, along the middle course of the Dniester River. It protects a relatively undeveloped portion of the Ukrainian forest-steppe landscape, about 75 km east of the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine. The canyon is known for its varied geological formations, including two of the longest caves in the world. | ||
| Dvorichna | Дворічанський | 3132 | Kharkiv Oblast | 2009 | Set on the border of the steppe and forest-steppe on the banks of the river Oskil, in the south-east part of Ukraine. | ||
| Dzharylhach | Джарилгацький | 10000 | Kherson Oblast | 2009 | Covers Dzharylhach Island and the adjacent Karkinit Bay in the northern reaches of the Black Sea. Famous for clean sandy beaches and mineral springs in its many small lakes, Dzharylhach is the largest island in the Black Sea. Portions of the park have been protected nature reserves for almost 100 years. | ||
| Grand Meadow | Великий Луг | 16756 | Zaporizhzhia Oblast | 2006 | Covers historic steppe terrain in southeast Ukraine. It is on the south bank of the Dnieper River's Kakhovka Reservoir, which was created by the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station. The meadows and reed beds on the shore support one of the largest transmigration spots for birds in Eastern Europe. | ||
| Halych | Галицький | 14685 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | 2004 | Highlights forest, steppe, meadow and wetlands of the borderlands between the Ukrainian Carpathians and the southwestern part of the East European Plain. | ||
| Hetman | Гетьманський | 23360 | Sumy Oblast | 2009 | The park begins at the border with Russia as the Vorskla River runs west and south, and follows the river for all 122 km of its length through Sumy Oblast. There are some short breaks between sectors for roads or built-up villages. The terrain is mostly flat, with some hills and ravines. | ||
| Holosiiv | Голосіївський | 4525 | Kyiv | 2007 | A protected remnant of forest surrounded by the urban area of the city of Kyiv, Ukraine. It is located on the Kyiv Hills, in the Dniester-Dnieper forest-steppe province, North-Dnieper lowland and steppe zone of Left-Bank Dnieper province. | ||
| Holy Mountains | Святі Гори | 40609 | Donetsk Oblast | 1997 | Located along the chalk cliffs and river terraces of the Donets River in Eastern Ukraine. The park's boundaries are a patchwork of forested areas stretching along the banks of the Donets. The Holy Mountains of Ukraine contain many archaeological, natural, historical, and recreational sites. | ||
| Homilsha Woods | Гомільшанські ліси | 14315 | Kharkiv Oblast | 2004 | Covers established forests in the Donets River valley. The site has been a protected area for a very long time, beginning with Peter the Great designating local territory as a 'protected ship grove' for wood to build ships. The site also has high ecological value as forest-steppe land. | ||
| Hutsulshchyna | Гуцульщина | 32271 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | 2002 | Located in the Western Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains. | ||
| Ichnia | Ічнянський | 9666 | Chernihiv Oblast | 2004 | Covers forest-steppe terrain in the Udai River basin, about 120 km northeast of Kyiv. | ||
| Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav | Білобережжя Святослава | 35223 | Mykolaiv Oblast | 2009 | Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav Park is situated on the north coast of the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It covers portions of Dnieper–Bug estuary, the Kinburn Peninsula just south of the estuary, and Yahorlyk Bay a shallow bay of the Black Sea itself. Adjacent to the site along the coast is the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. | ||
| Kamianka Sich | Кам'янська Січ | 12261 | Kherson Oblast | 2019 | Located on the right bank of the southern part of Kakhovka Reservoir. | ||
| Karmeliuk's Podillia | Кармелюкове Поділля | 16518 | Vinnytsia Oblast | 2009 | Located in southwest Ukraine on the forested southern slopes of the Ukrainian Shield. | ||
| Kholodnyi Yar | Холодний яр | 6833 | Cherkasy Oblast | 2022 | Located in southeastern Cherkasy Oblast. The Maksym Zalizniak oak tree is located on the territory of the park. | — | |
| Khotyn | Хотинський | 9400 | Chernivtsi Oblast | 2010 | Covers a segment of the Dniester River Canyon and the Dniester River Reservoir. It is located in the west of the country on the border with Romania. The famous Khotyn Fortress is located within the territory. | ||
| Kremenets Mountains | Кременецькі гори | 6,951 | Ternopil Oblast | 2009 | A cluster of mountains and ridges in the Holohoro-Kremenetskyi range of the Podolian Upland in west central Ukraine. | ||
| Kreminna Woods | Кремінські ліси | 7,269 | Luhansk Oblast | 2019 | Located in the basin of the Donets River, near the city of Kreminna. | — | |
| Kuialnyk | Куяльницький | 10,800 | Odesa Oblast | 2022 | Located in and near the Kuialnyk Estuary. | — | |
| Lower Dnieper | Нижньодніпровський | 80,177 | Kherson Oblast | 2015 | Consists of the islands in the Dnieper River delta. The entire park was flooded on June 7–8, 2023, due to the Kakhovka dam collapse. | — | |
| Lower Dniester | Нижньодністровський | 21,311 | Odesa Oblast | 2008 | A large portion of the Dniester River Estuary where it enters the Black Sea in southwestern Ukraine. The floodplains and waterways are important to nesting and wintering waterfowl and spawning fish, with over 70 species of fish in 20 groups recorded in the park. | ||
| [Lower Polesia|Polissia National Nature Park|Lower Polissia] | Мале Полісся | 9,515 | Khmelnytskyi Oblast | 2013 | A section of the Polissia region; the park includes several lakes and wetland areas, as well as parts of the valleys of the Horyn, Viliia, and Hnylyi Rih Rivers. | ||
| Lower Sula | Нижньосульський | 16,879 | Poltava Oblast | 2010 | Covers the lower reaches of the Sula River as it enters the Kremenchuk Reservoir, about 120 km southeast of Kyiv. Its extensive marshes and wetlands are important habitats for fish, waterfowl, and floodplain plants. | ||
| Meotyda | Меотида | 20,720 | Donetsk Oblast | 2009 | A stretch of coastline, estuaries, and coastal lands on the northern edge of the Sea of Azov in Ukraine. Administration of the park has been disrupted by hostilities. Previously, it supported significant populations of migratory waterfowl and over 100 species of nesting birds. | ||
| Mezyn | Мезинський | 31,035 | Chernihiv Oblast | 2006 | Forest and floodplain terraces of the Desna River in northern Ukraine. The park was created to balance protection of sensitive ecological and archaeological sites with recreation and rural agriculture. | ||
| Nobel | Нобельський | 25318 | Rivne Oblast | 2019 | Located in northwestern Rivne Oblast. The park protects a series of lakes and wetlands surrounding Lake Nobel in the Polissia region. | — | |
| Northern Podillia | Північне Поділля | 15588 | Lviv Oblast | 2010 | Covers a variety of individual protected sites in the northwestern Podolian Upland of Ukraine. The park provides protection to representative ecological and cultural sites of the area, including hornbeam–beech forested uplands, swamp–marsh floodplains, karst features, and historical landmarks such as three castles and World War sites. | ||
| Oleshky Sands | Олешківські піски | 8020 | Kherson Oblast | 2010 | The largest desert in Ukraine, located near the Dnieper River delta. Its sandy dunes and semi-arid vegetation create a unique landscape unlike any other in the country. | ||
| Podilski Tovtry | Подільські Товтри | 80178 | Khmelnytskyi Oblast | 2015 | Representative of the natural landscape of the Podillia region, featuring limestone ridges and forest–steppe ecosystems that form part of the Tovtry Ridge. | ||
| Pryazovia | Приазовський | 78127 | Zaporizhzhia Oblast | 2010 | The second-largest national park in Ukraine, covering the estuaries, coastal plains, and seaside landforms around the Molochna River and Utlyuk Estuary in Pryazovia on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov. | ||
| Prypiat–Stokhid | Прип'ять-Стохід | 39316 | Volyn Oblast | 2007 | Created to protect and unify a series of natural complexes of the Pripyat River and Stokhid River valleys in northwestern Ukraine. The park safeguards the meadows, floodplains, and wetlands of the Polissia region and serves as a major habitat for migratory waterfowl. | ||
| Pushcha Radzivila | Пуща Радзівіла | 24265 | Rivne Oblast | 2022 | Covers the basin of the Stvyha River in northwestern Ukraine. It protects forest and wetland ecosystems characteristic of the Polissia region. | — | |
| Pyriatyn | Пирятинський | 12028 | Poltava Oblast | 2009 | Covers a portion of the Udai River valley in north-central Ukraine. It provides nature conservation and recreation on the terraces and floodplains of the river. | ||
| Royal Beskids | Королівські Бескиди | 8997 | Lviv Oblast | 2020 | Covers the left-bank portion of the Dniester River basin from Staryi Sambir to Strilky, and also the basins of the Yablunka, Linynka, and Tysovychka rivers in the Eastern Carpathians. | — | |
| Shatsk | Шацький | 32515 | Volyn Oblast | 1983 | Established to preserve, reconstitute, and sustainably use the unique natural complexes of Volyn Polissia, including lakes, forests, and wetlands of exceptional ecological, recreational, and aesthetic value. | ||
| Skole Beskids | Сколівські Бескиди | 35684 | Lviv Oblast | 1999 | Covers the Skole Beskids Range of the Carpathian Mountains on the western edge of Ukraine. The park protects beech and beech–fir forests and provides for environmental, ecological, educational, and recreational uses. | ||
| Sloboda | Слобожанський | 5244 | Kharkiv Oblast | 2009 | Covers a forest–steppe region at the confluence of the Merla and Merchik Rivers in the East Poltava Highlands. The park features an extensive complex of marshes, swamps, and other wetlands. | ||
| Synevyr | Синевир | 40400 | Zakarpattia Oblast | 1989 | Located in the Zakarpattia Oblast in southwestern Ukraine, the park is centered around Lake Synevyr and surrounding mountain ecosystems of the Carpathians. | ||
| Syniohora | Синьогора | 10866 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | 2009 | Transition to full national park status was uncertain as of 2017, with portions of the park closed to the public. | — | |
| Tsumanska Pushcha | Цуманська пуща | 33475 | Volyn Oblast | 2010 | Located in southeastern Volyn Oblast. | ||
| Tuzly Lagoons | Тузловські лимани | 10866 | Odesa Oblast | 2009 | Includes the group of Tuzly Lagoons: parts of the larger lagoons Shahany, Alibey, and Burnas; and the small lagoons Solone Ozero, Khadzhyder, Karachaus, Budury, Martaza, Mahala, Malyi Sasyk, and Dzhantshei. | ||
| Uzh | Ужанський | 39159 | Zakarpattia Oblast | 1999 | Part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. The park protects pristine beech forests of the Carpathians. | ||
| Verkhovyna | Верховинський | 12023 | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | 2010 | Covers the highest reaches of the Cheremosh River in the Carpathian Mountains. | ||
| Vyzhnytsia | Вижницький | 7928 | Chernivtsi Oblast | 1995 | Located in the Ukrainian Carpathians, Vyzhnytsia Park represents a lowland part of the Carpathians with a mild climate. The area is forested with beech and fir trees. | — | |
| Yavoriv | Яворівський | 7079 | Lviv Oblast | 1998 | A narrow range of hills long, which rises sharply to the north of the Lesser Polissya. | ||
| Zacharovanyi Krai | Зачарований край | 6101 | Zakarpattia Oblast | 2009 | Located in Khust Raion in the Ukrainian Carpathians. | ||
| Zalissia | Залісся | 14836 | Kyiv Oblast | 2009 | Covers a large forest on the left bank of the Desna River, about 20 km northeast of Kyiv. As of 2017, the area is open for limited public access, but is primarily administered as a protected area for “the reception and stay of senior officials”, other state uses, and the protection of plant and animal life. |
Proposed parks
| Name | Ukrainian name | Photo | Area | Location | Year | Description | |
| Berezan | Березанський | – | Mykolaiv Oblast | 2023 | Covers the Berezan Estuary, Beikul Estuary, and the valleys of Berezan and Sasyk rivers. | – | |
| Berezhany Opillia | Бережанське Опілля | 11800 | Ternopil Oblast | 2021 | Proposed in Ternopil Oblast to preserve forest and meadow ecosystems of the Berezhany region. | – | |
| Budzhak Steppes | Буджацькі степи | 9729.7 | Odesa Oblast | 2023 | Covers steppe and forest areas of Budjak. | – | |
| Chaikovychi | Чайковицький | up to 10000 | Lviv Oblast | 2013 | Covers wetlands near the right bank of the Dniester River south of Chaikovychi village. | – | |
| Black Forest–Dmytrivka | Чорнолісько-Дмитрівський | 48000 | Kirovohrad Oblast | 2009 | Covers the Black Forest, Dmytrivka-Chuta Forest, and part of the Inhulets River valley. | – | |
| Darnytsia | Дарницький | – | Kyiv | – | Covers multiple forested areas in eastern Kyiv. | – | |
| Divychky | Дівички | 16648 | Kyiv Oblast | 2012 | Covers forest-steppe and swamp regions on the left bank of the Dnieper, southwest of Pereiaslav. | – | |
| Dnieper Islands | Дніпровські Острови | 8444.62 | Kyiv | 2004 | Covers most of Kyiv's islands and some peninsulas on the Dnieper and a part of Horbachykha. | ||
| Dnieper–Teteriv | Дніпровсько-Тетерівський | 30402.3 | Kyiv Oblast | 2008 | Covers the Teteriv Estuary and the forested area nearby. | ||
| Hirskyi Tikych | Гірський Тікич | 4908 | Cherkasy Oblast | 2017 | Covers the entire Hitskyi Tikych River valley and some surrounding areas, including Buky Canyon and 11 sites of Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. | ||
| Hromokliia | Громоклійський | Mykolaiv Oblast | 2023 | Covers the steppe landscape of Hromokliia River basin and parts of the right bank of Inhul River. | |||
| Izium Meadow | Ізюмська Лука | Kharkiv Oblast | 2021 | Covers territories by the Siverskyi Donets River near Izium that currently belong to Izium Meadow Regional Landscape Park. | |||
| Kremenchuk Reedbeds | Кременчуцькі Плавні | around 10000 | Kirovohrad Oblast, Poltava Oblast | 2008 | Covers islands and parts of the Dnieper River near Kremenchuk. | ||
| Lower Vorskla | Нижньоворсклянський | 23200 | Poltava Oblast | 2006 | Covers the Vorskla River estuary and nearby areas that currently belong to Lower Vorskla Regional Landscape Park. | ||
| Nadbuzhzhia in the name of Eminent Liubomyr Huzar | Надбужжя ім. Блаженнішого Любомира Гузара | 3294 | Lviv Oblast | 2018 | Covers floodplains of Western Bug and other rivers around Sokal. | ||
| Opillia | Опілля | 16790.6 | Lviv Oblast | 2023 | Covers forests and other territories around Dniester River in Lviv and Stryi raions. | ||
| Podesinnia | Подесіння | Chernihiv Oblast, Kyiv Oblast | 2008 | Covers most of the Desna River valley in Chernihiv and Kyiv oblasts. | |||
| Pryirpinnia and Chernechyi Forest | Приірпіння та Чернечий ліс | 17932.4 | Kyiv Oblast | 2018 | Covers forests near Irpin River to the southwest of Kyiv and the Chernechyi Forest. | ||
| Saksahan Sich | Саксаганська січ | 7957 | Dnipropetrovsk Oblast | 2016 | Covers the Saksahan River basin. | ||
| Sviatoshyn–Pushcha-Vodytsia | Святошинсько-Пуща-Водицький | Kyiv | Covers protected areas in the Sviatoshyn-Bilychi forest massif in Kyiv, including the Golden Forest preserve and some areas that currently belong to Holosiiv National Park. | ||||
| Upper Pobuzhzhia | Верхнє Побужжя | 108000 | Khmelnytskyi Oblast | 2013 | Covers the upper Southern Bug basin. As of 2015, the park was projected to be created by 2021. As of January 2024, the park has not been created. | ||
| Western Pobuzhzhia | Західне Побужжя | 17423.4 | Volyn Oblast | 2018 | Covers floodplains of Western Bug and Luha rivers within southwestern Volyn Oblast. | ||
| Zhdymyr | Ждимир | 21600 | Zakarpattia Oblast | Covers Polonyna Borzhava in the Carpathians. |