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Wilderness Quick Audit in Maramarosh Wilderness in Ukraine

A recent European Wilderness Quality Standard Quick Audit of the Maramarosh massif continued our long-term partnership with the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (CBR). The Maramarosh mountains are one of the massifs of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, located in the boarder region with Romania. The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve already hosts one Wilderness (the Uholka – Shyrokyy Luh Wilderness), two WILDForests (Uholka – Shyrokyy Luh WILDForest and Kuziy – Trybushany WILDForest) as well as three WILDRivers (Velyka Uholka WILDRiver, Shyrokyy Luh WILDRiver and Mala Uholka WILDRiver).

The potential Maramarosh Wilderness

At a first meeting with the director of Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, Mr. Rybak Mykola Petrovych, the two scientists and rangers Ruslan Gleb and Mykola Romanyuk as well as Iryna Yonash and deputy director, Mr. Vasil Pokynchereda, the final programme of the Wilderness Audit Mission was set. The reserve recently installed a new zonation system. This new zonation aims to increase the protection of the reserve’s primeval beech forests. The main objectives of the 3-day Quick Audit were to get an overview of the potential Wilderness, check out its borders in the field and to see the Wilderness quality of the forests. Hikes up to the highest peaks of the massif, such as Pip Ivan Maramoroskyi Mountain, offered good overviews and helped to fulfill all these tasks.

The protected area borders the Romanian Muntii Maramureşului Natural Park and is only accessible with a permit. The massif hosts primeval beech forests, which are part of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Beech Forest of Europe. Beside that, naturally mixed forest – beech, fir and spruce – pass on to patchy fields of mugo pine, alder and rhododendron which form the tree line. A formerly grazed and now rewilding glacial cirque will be included in the potential Wilderness as well. The potential Maramarosh Wilderness hosts the Maramarosh WILDForest. This WILDForest again hosts the potential Bilyi WILDRiver and Yavornykvyi WILDRiver, both with networks of small dynamic creeks and rivulets. The area has a high potential to enlarge the WILDForest as well as to include other WILDRivers in the future.

Successful partnership with the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve

The longterm partnership with the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve is based on the strong commitment towards Wilderness of the Reserve’s management. The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve is already a partner of our network for several years. The reserve protects some of the largest remnants of primeval beech forest in Europe. The reserve’s Uholka – Shyrokyy Luh massif hosts one Wilderness, two WILDForests as well as three WILDRivers. The field mission of this Quick Audit was accompanied by Ruslan Gleb and Mykola Romanyuk. The Quick Audit Report of the potential Maramarosh Wilderness is currently being written.

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