Reservoir spill will hurt wildlife more than war - study

Ukrainian nature is unique and it will be badly affected by an attack. In order to predict the possible developments, the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group conducted research and found out what will happen to wildlife in the near future.

The researchers identified the following types of impacts:

• the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir;
• flooding.

The consequences of draining the bottom of the Kakhovka reservoir and water diversion from the reservoir include impacts on fish and birds, natural fauna (benthos) and plant life, rare types of habitats/settlements, areas of nature reserve fund and conservation objects of international importance.

The fish resource will be affected the most. As at the moment of dam failure only in Kakhovka reservoir there were about 43 species of fish, of which 20 species were of commercial value (annual catches amounted to 2.6 thousand tons). It is noted that recovery will take at least 7-10 years. And some of the surviving fish are likely to be carried to the sea and die in the salty water.

The disappearance of the reservoir will affect the bird population. According to the prediction, some species may simply disappear because some birds nest on so-called driftwood in the centre of the reservoir, which until now had been on isolated islands.

Impacts on plant life. As a result of the catastrophic drop in the water level of the reservoir, aquatic and riparian vegetation will disappear. Alien plants will replace them. And open areas at the bottom of reservoirs could become the largest breeding ground for dangerous invasive species.

In the category of consequences of inundation of the areas downstream of the destroyed dam, additional impacts are identified: terrestrial fauna, areas of nature reserve fund and Emerald Network areas, wetlands of international importance and flooding of rivers.

Apart from the Dnieper, its tributaries, the Ingulets and Vilovchina Rivers, will also be affected. Downstream these rivers have been flooded for many kilometres. As a result, the natural ecosystems along the banks of these rivers have been affected. The mixing of the Dnieper and Ingulets waters has also resulted in the introduction of new species in the rivers' fauna, worsening the living conditions of the local fishing industry. In addition, stagnant waters will result in pollutants rising with the current from the reservoir bed into these rivers.

In addition, desalination and pollution of the Black Sea could occur.

The collapse of the dam has released large quantities of fuels and lubricants into the water, which are toxic to aquatic organisms and can form a film on the surface of the water. There are other sources of marine pollution that can affect a wide range of biological communities, from plankton to marine mammals. In addition, large quantities of freshwater can provoke mass multiplication of micro-organisms and algae.