Habitat at risk as Ukrainians crowd river seeking respite from war

TYLIHUL ESTUARY, Ukraine, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Kite surfers bounce along the gentle waves. A speedboat pulls children on an inflatable raft. Families soak up sunshine on a narrow beach.

With most of Ukraine's Black Sea Coast either occupied by Russian troops or in their line of fire, families seeking respite from life in a war zone are flocking to the inland shores of the Tylihul, a river that widens into a broad estuary bordered by grassland.

In the summer sunshine you could almost forget that the front line is a few hours drive away. Visitors say the respite is a desperately needed relief. But authorities and some residents worry that the crowds could damage an important and delicate natural habitat.

"There are two sides of a coin. On one hand, we understand that there is no access to the sea and people still want to relax somewhere. On the other hand, we know that estuary will not survive such amount of people," said Petro Kalinchuk, on a sandy spit dotted with beach umbrellas and tents.

Inna Tymchenko, deputy head of the Mykolaiv regional department of the National Institute of Ecology, said the problem was not so much the people as their tents and cars.

[1/5]People rest on a narrow beach of the Tylihul river that widens into a broad estuary, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Mykolaiv region, Ukraine July 29, 2023. REUTERS/Viktoria Lakezina

"They are placed in chaotic order, tourists don't know where it is alright to leave a car and where it is not, so they park wherever they want. That's how vegetation cover is being destroyed," she said.

"Noise affects the birds. They partially got used to the noise, but loud noises are unusual for them this year. It will lead to grave consequences in this area."

There was hope that birds could find refuge here from the Kinburn Spit, a vast Black Sea nature preserve destroyed by flooding after the Kakhovska Dam on the Dnipro River was blown up nearly two months ago. More birds could die if there is no hospitable sanctuary for them here.

Kalinchuk said his family had been coming to the river for nearly 50 years. They used to see birds nesting and brooding eggs on the beach. Now, with the larger crowds, all the birds were gone and there were fewer fish, too.

But as long as the war goes on and there are few other places to rest, families say they will keep coming.

"Access to the rivers and the sea is closed. So this is the only place where we can relax after two years of war against Russia," said resident Viacheslav Natalenko.

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