Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park

Podilski Tovtry
IUCN category II (national park)
View of the entrance to the park, near the historic town of Bakota.
Location of Khmelnytskyi Oblast in Ukraine
Location	Kamianets-Podilsky, southern portion of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine
Area	2,613.16 km2 (1,008.95 sq mi)
Established	July 27, 1996
Named for	Tovtry, specific term for local hills
Governing body	Ministry of Natural Environment Protection of Ukraine
Website	http://www.tovtry.com/

Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park (Ukrainian: Націона́льний приро́дний парк «Поді́льські То́втри») is a national park, located in Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi Raions (districts) of Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) in the southern region of the western Ukraine. It is the largest nature conservation area in Ukraine.

The National Environmental Park "Podilski Tovtry" was created on the decree #476/96 of the President of Ukraine, then Leonid Kuchma, on July 27, 1996, in order to maintain and protect the natural landscape of the Podillia region. The park is a nature-conservational, recreational, culturally enlightening, and scientifically researching institution of national importance. According to the Law of Ukraine of September 21, 2000 #1989-III, the National nature park "Podilski Tovtry" belongs to the National Ecological Network of Ukraine of the Podillya region (Podillya).^[1]

General overview[]

Park logo

The park's area covers 2,613.16 km² (645,725.9 acre). There are 1,700 different types of flora, 60 of which are included in the Red Book of Ukraine. Also there are 217 different types of fauna, 29 of which are included in the Red Book of Ukraine as well. In total there are 127 objects of nature conservation which contain about 3,000 different types, forms, and sorts of plants.

The park is divided into several functional zones: sacred zone, regulated recreation zone, stationary recreation zone, and managed zone. In those zones are located 21 stationary recreation institutions (such as sanatoriums, profilactoriums, tourist resorts, holiday homes, etc.), some 160 industrial companies, collective and individual farming that cause harm to nature. Therefore, the main goal of the National nature park is the preservation of natural diversity, creation of the organized zones of recreation and wellness.

The parks natural borders serve Zbruch River to the west (south from the Sataniv town), Dniester to the south towards the mouth of , former administrative borders of the Nova Ushytsia and Dunaivtsi Raions to the east, the Dymytrov, Ordzhonikidze, Vatutin collective farms (Horodok Raion) to the north.

The park includes some 14% of state forest fund, over 13% of collective farm forests, and other territories of region. The total forest fund of the park accounts for some 3,015 hectares (7,450 acres).

Sunrise over the Studenytsia River, which flows through the park.

Major landmarks[]

• 15 various state reserves
• 4 state monuments of nature
• Botanical garden
• Bakota Bay (Ramsar sites in Ukraine)
• Lower Smotrych River (Ramsar sites in Ukraine)

Cultural and historical landmarks[]

• 19 archaeological sights
• 302 monuments of historical and cultural heritage (including the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle), 205 of which are located in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi

See also[]

• Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 48°41′N 26°35′E / 48.683°N 26.583°E / 48.683; 26.583