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Thick shelled river mussel (Unio crassus)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 190520172

Conservation of the endangered mussel Unio crassus in the Southern Bug River (Ukraine), which is under threat of hydrotechnical construction

Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation (Project No. 190520172) - Thick shelled river mussel - Awarded $4,490 on August 23, 2019

Significant zone of the Southern Bug rapids can be flooded to increase complex of nuclear power and hydropower infrastructure in the coming years. This can reduce the species population area or worsen its habitats. This have already caused a protest of local communities and organizations, especially several dozen of NGO, that coordinated by National Ecological Center of Ukraine. Providing data about the distribution and habitat conditions of the mussel population to these groups will allow them to use this as a tool during formal approval required in such cases according legislation. For sustainable conservation will be also used legal instruments of Bern Convention. Now, is forming the Emerald Network, which must cover this population as main population for the steppe ecoregion. The fact of absence of population assessment prevents the creation of an individual conservation program, which must be developed in accordance with current legislation. We plan to transfer the project results to the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, whose staff, together with the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine, fill in the relevant databases. We also plan to begin the introducing this species into the Red Book of Ukraine, through work in the National Commission of the Red Book of Ukraine.

Project documents