Organiser: Oxford Ukraine Hub

Format: hybrid (in-person and online attendance)

Ukraine is home to a diverse range of environments, including the richly biodiverse wetlands of Polissya in the north, the expansive grassland steppe in the south and east, and lowland forests and alpine meadows in the Carpathians to the west. The country is commonly known as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’ due to its agricultural productivity, but is also a country scarred by imperial forms of extractivism, as well as the site of world’s worst nuclear catastrophe (Chornobyl) that has an unending toxic legacy.

The ongoing Russia’s aggression has deepened the complexity of Ukraine’s environmental challenges. According to the government, 23 national parks and nature reserves are under Russian occupation; almost a third of Ukraine’s forests have been ravaged by the war; one third of the country is mined; and over 800 animal species are threatened, with over 80 on the verge of extinction. Global reliance on environmentally-destructive Russian oil and gas has prevented the international community from fully isolating Russia and supporting Ukraine to reclaim all its occupied territories. Ukrainians, meanwhile, have shown immense resilience, amidst which, deep-rooted connections to land and landscape have begun to re-emerge.

This seminar—Ukrainian Environmentalisms: Perspectives from Science, Culture, and Policy—brings together four distinguished speakers from diverse backgrounds, including art history, cultural geography, environmental science, and environmental law, to reflect on the most pressing issues and intriguing questions related to the environment and ecology in Ukraine. The event is divided into two panels. The first, on science and policy, will involve discussions of climate change, energy policy, and green reconstruction. The second, on the Ukrainian environmental humanities, explores Ukrainian agriculture from a cultural geographic perspective and dives into representations of nature in Ukrainian art.

If you’d like to join virtually, register here. For in-person participation, register via the button below.