УПРАВЛІННЯ ЕКОСИСТЕМНИМИ ПОСЛУГАМИ: СТРАТЕГІЯ ЗАПРОВАДЖЕННЯ В УКРАЇНІ

Abstract

The article analyzes the world and domestic experience in relation to the nature issues and classification of ecosystem services, their economic assessment and market formation, and the improvement of the economic mechanism of nature use through the introduction of payments for such services. Ukraine has all the prerequisites for including ecosystem services in the economic relations system. First, it is necessary to coordinate approaches to the nature of ecosystem services, then develop methodological tools for their economic assessment and create a system for managing ecosystem services. On the example of the river ecosystems services their importance for providing the population with proper quality water, flood mitigation, water quality regulation, provision of freshwater fish, recreation, and so on were substantiated. The Government approved the Hydropower Development Program of Ukraine until 2026, which foresees the further construction of hydroelectric power stations mainly on small and medium rivers. During the Program development, a number of gross violations of national and international environmental legislation and the provisions of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union were committed. Water management should be based on a basin management principle that is in line with the principles of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. Based on the results of the conducted research the following conclusions have been made: The main reason for the critical state of small rivers in Ukraine is a high level of economic load in their catchment basins, an outdated system of wastewater treatment. To restore water supply ecosystem services, it is necessary to increase the natural water content of the rivers, stop the deforestation and plow the coastal lands, drain the bogs in the upper part of the basin, which will ensure the rivers flow throughout the channel. In order to introduce a mechanism for the ecosystem services provision in Ukraine, systematic identification and evaluation of ecosystem services should be carried out in the first place according to their types, territorial, geographical, climatic and other features. After the necessary ecological and economic measures in the hydropower and other sectors of the economy are carried out, inventories and assessments of the benefits derived from the using of ecosystem functions by economic agents and other stakeholders should be identified.