Askania Nova Reserve – from its foundation to Russian occupation

Founder of the Askania Nova Nature Reserve

Baron Friedrich Falz-Fein was not only a landowner, but also a prominent scientist who founded the Askania-Nova Nature Reserve. Thanks to his deep knowledge and hard work, the man managed to grow a garden in the half-empty steppe, created a zoo, and acclimatized many species of wild birds and animals brought from all over the world.

When Friedrich turned seventeen, his father gave him eight acres of land. It was in this place that the young man created the first enclosure for steppe animals.

Since then, Friedrich Falz-Fein has studied and traveled extensively, visiting the world's largest botanical gardens and zoos. In 1898, Friedrich laid out new protected areas. Their area is already 120 and 500 acres.

In 1898, Friedrich created a zoo and a botanical garden. The man spent all his income on the reserve, while building important attributes of civilization in it: telephone, telegraph, water supply, electricity, hospital, post office, library, etc.

At the turn of the century, about two thousand different species of animals were already kept in Askania-Nova. Later, due to a serious illness, Friedrich was forced to move to Germany. The man had a very difficult time separating from the reserve, in which he had invested not only all the lessons of his life, but also his heart and soul. Falz-Fein died on August 2, 1920 in Berlin.

During his work, the scientist managed to grow a garden, create a botanical park, and open a zoo. One of Friedrich's achievements was saving Przewalski's wild horse from extinction.

In the Kherson steppe, the scientist created a scientific institute for the study and preservation of the region's nature. Famous scientists from all over the world often came to his meetings to take part in scientific gatherings.

Falz-Fein Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve

The Falz-Fein Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve is not only a state reserve, but also a research institution within the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. Askania-Nova is the largest steppe reserve in Europe. In 2009, Askania-Nova represented Ukraine in the New 7 Wonders of Nature World Competition.

The reserve is home to about eight hundred varieties of wild ungulates and hybrid forms of pigs, deer, antelopes, bison, bulls, rams, llamas, camels, kulan donkeys, Przewalski's horses, Scottish ponies, and more.

The reserve also has an ornithological park with more than sixty species of birds, including pheasants, swans, storks, ducks, Indian and Egyptian geese, African ostriches, Australian emus, and South American nandus.

The reserve is home to eighteen species of mammals, seven species of reptiles and amphibians, about 1,155 species of arthropods and 270 species of birds.

The reserve is home to 478 higher plants, six species of vascular plants (from the IUCN Red List), twenty from the Red Data Book of Ukraine, nine species from the European Red Data Book, and two from Appendix I of the Bern Convention.

Russian occupation

On April 8, 2023, the official website of the institution published the news that the occupation authorities had established de facto control over the Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve.

“On March 20, 2023, the first deputy head of the Russian presidential administration S. Kirienko, the 'acting governor' of the Kherson region, collaborator V. Saldo, and an unknown person in the role of director appointed by the 'Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Kherson region' without official introductions - D. Meshcheryakov - arrived at the institution,” the website reports.

According to the open sources, now there is the following document: “Extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities" from 07.03.2023 - Meshcheryakov D.V. (INN 910403459172) registered "State Autonomous Institution "Biosphere Reserve Askania Nova."

The name of the founder Friedrich Falz-Fein does not appear in any document of the occupation authorities.

“We did everything in our power and held out with dignity! We believe in change and are preparing for the return of Askania-Nova to Ukrainian control!” the website says.