The only region without a national park – "Chornyi Lis" will be created in Kirovohrad region
On June 10, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the creation of the national natural park "Chornyi Lis". It will include over 12.8 thousand hectares of forest territories in the Kirovohrad region, according to the Ministry of Economy.
According to the government decision, the new park will include 10,211.4 hectares of land within the Chornolisky forestry and 2,643.5 hectares within the Onikiivsky forestry.
The Kirovohrad region has so far remained the only region in Ukraine without any national natural park. At the same time, the level of protected areas in the region is slightly over 4%.
The region is home to the Chornolisky and Chutivsky forests – some of the largest broadleaf forest massifs on the southern boundary of forest distribution in Eastern Europe, which have important nature conservation significance.
Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, noted that the "Chornyi Lis" park is an important territory for nature conservation in Central Ukraine. According to him, during the preparation of the decision, an approach was found that combines conservation goals and community needs, as well as promotes the fulfillment of Ukraine's European integration commitments in the field of biodiversity protection.
The park will include forest fund land plots that will subsequently be withdrawn from permanent use by the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine".
The decision was made after consultations with scientists and forestry specialists. The principle of balanced combination of conservation and economic interests was taken into account, which is especially relevant under martial law conditions.
It is expected that the creation of the national natural park will contribute to the preservation of valuable natural complexes of the Middle Dnipro region, protection of rare species of plants and animals, increase of the area of the nature reserve fund, and the fulfillment by Ukraine of its environmental protection obligations.
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