Ecological and economic assessment of the use of water resources of Ukraine in the context of sustainable development

Abstract

Water resources are crucial for sustaining human life, industry, agriculture, and ecosystems. However, increasing pressure on these resources, pollution of water sources and climate change pose serious challenges to their effective management. It was determined that the water resources of Ukraine have great potential for the development of society, but they require effective management taking into account the principles of sustainable development. It is substantiated that the formation of the fundamental scientific basis for the evaluation of water resources of Ukraine should be based on the use of ecological and economic approaches, in particular, on the study of the water balance, assessment of ecosystem services, cost analysis and other tools for determining the ecological and economic value of water resources. A comparison of the indicators of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 "Ensuring the availability and rational use of water resources and sanitation for all" between Ukraine and Poland was carried out. The study revealed certain differences and similarities in the level of achievement of both countries in this direction. Based on the results of the study, it was established that ecological and economic approaches to the assessment of water resources are effective tools for determining their value and making rational decisions about their management, which allows taking into account not only economic aspects, but also the impact on ecosystems and human health.