Explore the protected areas of Polesia

Each country, i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, that holds parts of the landscape Polesia has its own system of protected natural areas, such as nature reserves, national parks, and natural monuments. On the map, these areas are presented together to show how national protection contributes to ecological connectivity across borders. The inclusion of an area in the national system of protected natural areas is the most reliable guarantee of compliance with conservation measures. The green dots in this layer mark nature monuments – separate natural objects of conservation value.

A significant part of Polesia, ca. 500.000 hectares, lies within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), created after the 1986 nuclear accident. It includes Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine) and Polesie State Radioecological Reserve (Belarus). Although the latter is not formally part of the national protected area system of Belarus, it still has become an important refuge for wildlife and is displayed due to its crucial role in this map of protected areas and was subject to project activities till 2022. These two institutions lead scientific monitoring and support conservation efforts within this unique environment. 

Polesia’s exceptional wetlands are recognised internationally through numerous Ramsar sites designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. These sites highlight wetlands of international importance and commit countries to ensuring their long-term protection and wise use. 

The Emerald Network, established under the Bern Convention, identifies areas of high conservation value across Europe. It is an analogue conservation tool to NATURA 2000 sites in non-EU countries.  
The map shows Emerald Network sites in Ukraine because these sites represent areas of high biodiversity value and could form the basis of future protection efforts.   
Some Emerald Network sites have also been identified in Belarus. However, Belarus withdrew from the Convention in 2023 after 10 years. Although the Emerald Network sites in Belarus remain ecologically important, they have no legal protection status and are therefore not displayed on the map.    

Polesia is of outstanding importance for birds, supporting vital breeding populations and serving as a major stopover for millions of migratory species. This map displays Important Bird Areas (IBAs), i.e. sites recognised by BirdLife International as globally significant for birds and wider biodiversity. 

This dedicated map layer highlights the key project areas, the protected sites where our project and its partners worked directly with local conservation authorities and communities. These areas were selected not only for their exceptional natural value, but also because they were central to our conservation activities, research, planning, and collaboration on the ground. 

Click on any highlighted site to explore its ecological importance and to read more about our work carried out there. 

Polesia still contains many areas of high conservation value that are only gradually being fully mapped and understood. With support from the Polesia – Wilderness without Borders project and its partners, several new protected areas were designated and existing ones expanded. These new and expanded sites are highlighted on the map. 

Until 2022, the project worked with local partners in Belarus to strengthen biodiversity protection through two key mechanisms: 

Protected biotopes 

Belarus designates rare and representative habitat types for strict protection, whether inside or outside existing protected areas. Our partners identified several such biotopes before 2022, and these are shown on the map. 

Protected species 

Habitats of species listed in the national Red Data Book receive special protection measures. The project has documented and supported protection of these habitats prior to 2022. Icons on the map indicate whether the protected habitat relates to fauna, plants, fungi, or lichens. 

Although the project is no longer active in Belarus since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the results of this earlier work remain important for understanding Polesia’s conservation landscape and are displayed here for completeness and transparency.