Skole Beskyd National Nature Park

Skole Beskyd National Nature Park (Національний природний парк «Сколівські Бескиди»; Natsionalnyi pryrodnyi park “Skolivski Beskydy”, or SBNNP). A national park established in 1999 through the amalgamation of several existing nature preserves. One of the Carpathian protected areas, the SBNNP is located in the Subcarpathian upland region of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains within the boundaries of Skole, Drohobych, and Turka raions in Lviv oblast. It covers an area of 35 684 ha. It is under the jurisdiction of the State Forest Resource Agency of Ukraine.

The SBNNP incorporates unique ecosystems of the Skole Beskyd upland area that combine forests and cultivated landscapes. The most characteristic relief features are chute landscapes with mountain forest scree soils. The highest summit is Mount Parashka (1,268 m). Most common in the park are fir, spruce, beech-fir, and spruce-fir-beech forests with occasional sycamore and grey alder forests. The most valuable forest ranges survived anthropogenic impact under the polonynas (highland meadows). There are large areas of the secondary growth of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Less common is secondary meadow vegetation, while marsh, aquatic and coastal vegetation is rarely found in the park.

The picturesque scenery (especially in the Velyka River and Kamianka River valleys as well as in the vicinity of the Tustan castle) make the SBNNP an attractive tourist destination. Popular tourist resorts are located in Skhidnytsia, Skole, and Slavske. Plentiful sources of mineral water, eg, the ‘Naftusya’ mineral water, are found in the vicinity of Skhidnytsia. A number of historic wooden churches and other examples of wooden folk architecture are located within the park. The park also features several eco-tourist trails and winter tourism facilities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Popovych, S. Pryrodno-zapovidna sprava (Kyiv 2007)

Volodymyr Kricsfalusy

[This article was written in 2011.]