During the discussion Olha Pylypovych, an associate professor of LNU. I. Franko, a member of the Dniester Basin Council, acquainted the participants with the main causes, features of floods and aspects of reducing the consequences of this phenomenon. Olha stressed that the main causes of floods are a large amount of precipitation in a short period of time, oversaturation of the soil with moisture, lack of ecosystem approach to land management within the river basin, namely continuous deforestation on the hills, excessive plowing in the basin, chaotic construction river valleys, continuous, often unauthorized construction within coastal protection strips along rivers, global climate change, etc.

The speaker also noted that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of cases of heavy rains in a short period of time. Therefore, there is always a risk of dangerous morphs of dynamic processes, which threatens environmental safety. The main measures to reduce risks are the application of an ecosystem approach to nature management within the river basin. This approach consists of land use planning, proper construction and agriculture on the principle of maximum conservation of natural resources, as well as ecological measures (restoration of floodplains and riverbeds, increasing forest cover, etc.).

Sophia Shutiak, a leading Legal Adviser of EPL “Environment. People. Law” focused on the legislative and legal aspects of flood control.

Watch video in Ukrainian here

Within the framework of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies’ project - Ecumenical Social Week, which this year is dedicated to integral ecology - an interesting and substantive meeting of students and teachers from the Ecological College of Lviv National Agrarian University, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, National University “Lviv Polytechnic”, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Drohobych Pedagogical University, Veterinary Academy, Lviv National Agrarian University and Ukrainian Catholic University was held.

The meeting was run in ecological reading format: students get aquatinted with each other, shared their plans for the future deepening their knowledge of environmental challenges and how to overcome them, they learned about the connection between ecology and theology, work in groups over an Encyclical’s Laudato Si section and left the discussion-club looking forward to the next meeting.

The event was organized jointly with the Institute of Ecumenical Studies and NGO "Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development".

ESW’ Project Coordinator Iryna Kitura emphasized the students' particular interest in such meetings and the desire of young people to work practically on environmental issues.