Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, National nature park in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Ukraine.
Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park is a protected area along the Black Sea coast comprising thirteen interconnected lagoons. A 29-kilometer sandbar separates these water bodies from the open sea, creating unique ecological conditions across approximately 278 square kilometers.
The park received official protection status in 2010 through a presidential decree, establishing it as a protected coastal ecosystem. This formal recognition came after growing awareness of the area's ecological importance for the Black Sea region.
The name Tuzly derives from the Turkic word for salt, referring to the saline lagoons of the Shahany-Alibey-Burnas system. Since 1995 this system has been listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. At the end of spring and in early summer, poppy fields spread along the lagoon shores.
The park lies in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast, and covers 27,865 hectares, including 1,705 hectares of lagoon water and 316.8 hectares of the Black Sea sand spit. Access is by road from Tatarbunary; the terrain is dry steppe and sand, so bring water and sun protection. Late spring brings poppy carpets on the lagoon shores.
In 2025 the park's ranger team received the IUCN "Rangers of the Year" award at the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. The park also has a research centre where botanists study over 700 plant species and ornithologists more than 260 bird species.
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