Ukraine Nature Conservation Society

Ukraine Nature Conservation Society (Ukrpryroda – Ukrayinske tovarystvo okhorony pryrody) is a non-governmental environmental organization, foundation of which was one of precursors of the Khrushchev thaw during his time in Ukraine.

In 1967, following Ukrpryroda's advocacy arguments, the Ukrainian Government founded the State Nature Protection Committee that had a status of a central government agency. This took place three years before Nixon established the EPA in the US, six years before the European Commission created an Environmental and Consumer Protection Directorate and 21 years before Gorbachev established a similar Soviet-wide agency in Moscow. The State Nature Protection Committee was upgraded to the ministerial status in 1991.

Ukrpryroda promotes public awareness of recycling, environmental education and the love for nature at schools, in local communities and among local authorities. It has branches in all the regions and most of the regional districts/municipalities as well as in the special-status cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol.

Ukraine Nature Conservation Society (Ukrpryroda) was founded on June 28, 1946 during an environmental disaster - a drought that triggered a famine. It has a fascinating history of struggle of the founders of the Ukrainian environmental movement. Nikita Khrushchev (then the Head of the Government of the Ukrainian SSR and the Communist Party) gave permission for establishment of Ukrpryroda in response to numerous appeals of Ukrainian scientists and conservationists, many of whom were academics. Up until the mid-1960s, Ukrpryroda was the only voice for environment in draft public policy decisions, working closely with the Planning Commission and other government bodies. At that time Ukrpryroda requested the introduction of a comprehensive ecological-economic approach to the planned economy and promoted the establishment of the Ministry of Environment within the Ukrainian Government.