2022 Ukraine Botanic Garden Appeal

V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Botanical Garden

The V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Botanical Garden, an educational and environmental-botanical institution and one of the oldest in the country, can no longer operate normally under the current war conditions. Qualified personnel of the botanical garden is substantially reduced, as well as access for visitors primarily for security reasons. At the same time, the remaining employees continue to take care of the plant collections and the Garden infrastructure regardless of risks to safety, shortage of personnel, resources and financing. A very generous donation by Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, facilitated by BGCI, has allowed to retain some staff and help with basic needs during a very difficult situation.

With further financial support through the 2022 Ukraine Botanic Garden Appeal remaining staff could also organise Garden activities and practical training on transplanting and growing plants, as well as other activities to restore emotional balance in children and their families who have suffered from the war.  Also, to help recover psychological balance of our volunteers, the staff could arrange for special excursions for them and their families.

Collections at Kharkiv Botanical Garden

The most valuable collections grown outdoors are the Tulipa collections (65 species and about 300 varieties), Lilium (24 species and 225 varieties) and 290 taxa with small bulbs, predominantly the bulbous Iris sp. Among the groups of tropical plants the garden holds collections of the Bromeliaceae family (~300 taxa), Araceae (~100 taxa) and succulent plants. 

Activities that the 2022 Ukraine Appeal will support include:

1. Development of Garden tours and informational signage
2. Conducting of Garden tours, other educational activities

Final report

How you have met your objective(s)?

The staff of the botanical garden received financial assistance in a time of need, which helped them to survive and preserve the collection plants of the botanical garden. The work carried out helped internally displaced persons from the temporarily occupied territories of the Kharkiv region and their children to adapt to life in the conditions of hostilities and maintain a stable mental state.

Describe the impact(s) of your project.

Thanks to this program, collection greenhouse plants and open ground plants of the botanical garden were preserved. Additional adapted excursions around the territory of the botanical garden were also developed for internally displaced persons from the temporarily occupied territories of the Kharkiv region and volunteers. For children who could not leave Kharkiv during the hostilities, as well as for children from families of displaced persons, special excursions and plain air events were organised.