Black Sea Biosphere Reserve
The Black Sea Biosphere Reserve () is a biosphere reserve of Ukraine that is located at littoral zone of the northern Black Sea coast covering regions of the Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts and including Gulf of Tendra and Yahorlyk Bay. The reserve is part of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. History. The preserve was initially established on July 14, 1927, as part of the Trans-Maritime Preserve by the decree No. 172 of the Council of People's Commissars of Ukrainian SSR. In 1933 the preserve became an independent research institution. In 1973 to the  Black Sea Preserve were added the Danube floodplains, Kinski islands in Yahorlyk Bay, and the shallow portion of the Gulf of Tendra. Next year the neighboring Yahorlyk reserve was annexed as well. In 1981 the Danube floodplains became an independent preserve. In 1983 there was established the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve that included the Black Sea State Preserve and the Yahorlyk State Ornithological Reserve (as its buffer zone). In December 1984 the reserve was accepted to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The territory of the preserve is included in the International list of Ramsar Convention. The preserve was damaged  in March 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when ongoing fighting caused several fires in the area.