Part of a unique marshland home to wild orchids has burned down in the Ternopil region
A fire broke out in the Ternopil region near the village of Bilokrynytsia on the grounds of a unique carbonate marsh, resulting in the destruction of a significant portion of the nature reserve. The ruins were discovered by employees of the Kremenets Botanical Garden, researchers from Ternopil National Pedagogical University, and specialists from the regional department of ecology and natural resources. Rare plant species, including wild orchids, grow in the marsh.
The area of this marsh was submitted in 2025 for registration as a nature reserve, where rare plants, including wild orchids, grow.
Scientists noted that wild orchids are listed in Ukraine’s Red Book. Currently, these plants have been virtually burned away on the carbonate marsh.
“What we saw is heartbreaking. Vast areas of the marsh have been scorched. A black wasteland where vegetation should have flourished. The fire spared neither the grass, nor the trees, nor the shrubs. But this isn’t just dry grass—it’s a home for rare creatures. The carbonate marsh is a remnant of a large marsh complex on the bank of a right tributary of the Ikva—a river whose channel was canalized in the 20th century “as a result of drainage reclamation,” said Liana Onuk, head of the phytosociology department at the Kremenets Botanical Garden.
Scientists from the botanical garden also noted that they had invited representatives of the Kremenets community—which includes the village of Bilokrynytsia and on whose territory this unique ecosystem is located—to inspect the marsh. However, the officials did not show up.
The Ternopil Regional Police told ZAXID.NET that no one had contacted them regarding the burned carbonate marsh. Local firefighters did not respond to the fire either. Most likely, the dry grass was set on fire, but the flames gradually died out on their own. At the same time, it is currently impossible to determine whether this was arson.
It should be noted that the area of this unique carbonate marsh, located between the Kremenets Mountains, is approximately 40 hectares. It is formed on limestone rocks rich in calcium. Such types of marshes are extremely rare in Ukraine. Carbonate marshes have survived mainly in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
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