With support from the wider BirdLife Partnership, USPB has played a key role in expanding Ukraine’s network of protected areas. One of their most important victories came in 2017, when the Ukrainian government passed legislation protecting the country’s remaining primeval Carpathian forests – an initiative USPB helped design and champion. These efforts have helped USPB continue their mission despite unimaginable personal hardship. From Sumy to the Carpathians, from Luhansk to Crimea, their work has inspired thousands to protect Ukraine’s natural heritage. As the war continues, vast areas of Ukraine’s nature have been damaged.