Ecostation “Komarivshchyna”

The eco-station’s name — Komarivshchyna — comes from the Komarivshchyna Landscape Nature Reserve, located in the Vidradne Forestry near the village of Andriivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Nestled in the scenic valley of the Samara River, the station is surrounded by lakes and wetlands, forest tracts, botanical nature monuments, untouched steppe, and meadows — all of which are habitats for hundreds of valuable species of animals and plants.

The head of the eco-station, Illia Rochev, is a professional educator and passionate nature enthusiast who is deeply inspired by his community and the richness of local biodiversity. Together with his family, Illia founded the NGO “Prostir Prysamarya” to carry out various initiatives in collaboration with partners, including:

• Scientific research to identify and monitor the state of local biodiversity in partnership with the Department of Geobotany, Soil Science, and Ecology of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.
• Assessing anthropogenic pressure on water bodies in the Prydniprovia region (through water sampling for further analysis).
• Supporting forestry enterprises in their practical efforts to preserve and restore forests and biodiversity.
• Documenting local flora and fauna using citizen science tools such as the iNaturalist app.

Since its founding, the Komarivshchyna team has had many plans and ambitions to develop in different directions — including setting up a facility for environmental education and scientific work, launching an information campaign about local biodiversity, and organizing children’s eco-camps and tourist routes. However, due to the region’s elevated risk of shelling, some of these initiatives have been temporarily put on hold. Nevertheless, work continues. In 2025, Komarivshchyna plans to create a database of adventive and indicator plant species in the Prysamarya area and develop an educational program for schools and eco-camps titled “Nature of Our Homeland”.