Director Leonid P. Mordatenko, senior researcher, Cand. Biol.

Ukrainian Steppe Natural Reserve is a jem of Ukraine. It was founded in 1961 by the resolution of the Council of Ministers of UkrSSR №1118, of 22 July 1961 and the resolution of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences UkrSSR (protocol №48, paragraph 639, 20 September 1961) by a merger of four steppe reserves, namely: ‘Khomutovsky Steppe’ (1926), ‘Kamyani Mohyly’ (1927), ‘Mikhaylivska Tsilyna’ (1928), and ‘Striltsivsky Steppe’ (the last one was included to Luhansk Natural Reserve in 1968). In 1988 the fourth branch of the Reserve – ‘Kreidova Flora’ – was set up by the decision of the Council of Ministers UkrSSR N310 of 14 July 1988 and that of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences №3262, 13 December 1988. ‘Kreidova Flora’ branch is situated on the right-bank slopes of the Siversky Donets river valley.

Research activities of the Reserve are aimed at developing scientific fundamentals for protecting plant and animal life (biota) as well as natural ecosystems in natural reserves.

Principal research achievements:

The floristic and phytocenotic inventory of Reserve’s branches has been completed. Structural and dynamic peculiarities of steppe ecosystems have been revealed, ecological&genetical series have been constructed, the stage-like nature and mechanisms of plant chemical interaction have been studied; production process of ecosystems has been characterized, as well as features of autogenesis. It is on the base of our reserve’s branches that the problems of management, buffer zones optimization, biodiversity conservation and formation of the sustainability of steppe ecosystems are raised and successfully solved. In the course of its recent development (since 1990), the Reserve has been the leader in studying the mechanisms of steppe ecosystems functioning, kept a continuous cartographic monitoring of phytosystem self-development and published “Annals of Nature”. Its researchers have also successfully implemented their own program aimed at searching for and reserving the remaining steppe areas of the Azov-Sea region and Donbas.