Northern Podillia National Nature Park (Ukrainian: Національний природний парк «Північне Поділля») covers a variety of individual protected sites in the northwest Podolian Upland of Ukraine. The park provides protection to, and recreation in, representative ecological and cultural sites of the area, including Hornbean-Beech forested uplands, swamp-marsh floodplains, geologically significant karst features, and historical sites that include three castles and a number of WW1 and WW2 sites. The park is in Zolochiv Raion in Lviv Oblast[1]
Northern Podillia National Nature Park | |
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Ukrainian: Національний природний парк «Північне Поділля» | |
Location of Park | |
Location | Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast |
Nearest city | Brody |
Coordinates | 49°55′01″N 25°06′00″E / 49.917°N 25.1°E |
Area | 15,588 hectares (38,519 acres; 156 km2; 60 sq mi) |
Established | 2009 |
Governing body | Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (Ukraine) |
Website | http://park-podillya.com.ua/ |
The park is spread across 18 sites in two mountain ranges - the Holohory and Voronyaky - on the north slope of the Podilian Upland in northwest Ukraine. The mountains in this region are relatively low, up to 471 metres (1,545 ft), and drop steeply to the plains to the north.
The park is an assemblage of different tracts, each selected for the protection of a particular habitat, geological feature, or cultural site. The core of the park was founded as a private nature reserve in 1886 by Count Volodymyr Dyuschitsky, an amateur ornithologist who desired protection of nesting habitat for the white-tailed eagle. The main sectors are:
Brody district:
Zolochiv district:
The climate of Northern Podillia is Humid continental climate, warm summer (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over 10 °C (50 °F), but no month averaging over 22 °C (72 °F).[2][3] The highest average temperature is in June (20.1 °C (68.2 °F)), and the average precipitation is 700–800 mm/year.[4]
Northern Podillia NP is located in the Central European mixed forests ecoregion, a temperate hardwood forest covering much of northeastern Europe, from Germany to Russia.[5]
Over 200 species of plants of varying conservation status are found on territory of the park. 127 birds have been recorded, and 41 mammals.
There are six significant tourist trails in the park, developed for ecological education.