Azov-Syvash National Nature Park, National nature park in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine.
Azov-Syvash National Nature Park covers over 52,000 hectares of land and water, including Byriuchyi Island, Syvash Bay, and parts of the Sea of Azov. The area combines coastal zones, wetlands, and brackish waters into a complex ecosystem.
The park was established in 1993 to protect the coastal environment of the northwestern Azov region. This action marked an important step in preserving this ecologically valuable landscape.
The park's name joins the Sea of Azov and the Syvash, the lagoon-like bay whose islands hold true steppe plant communities. Among the endemic plants described from this territory are the Churyuk sea-lavender (Limonium tschurjukiense) and the Biryuchy yarrow (Achillea birjuczensis), named after the islands where they grow.
The park divides into four zones with different access and use rules depending on the level of protection. Visitors should check which areas are open and what restrictions apply to each zone.
The park's plant list includes 308 species, 12 of them in Ukraine's Red Book. Several endemics were first described from here, among them Limonium tschurjukiense and Achillea birjuczensis, named after Churyuk Island and Byriuchyi Island. Two Pleistocene relicts, Ofaiston monandrum and Tetradiclis tenella, grow in Ukraine only around Syvash.
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