Step Revived in War, People Planting the Future

When war destroys a country's land and people, some do not stop the work of bringing life back to that land. In the southern Tarutino Steppe of Ukraine, the Rewilding Ukraine team released a herd of 7 fallow deer into the wild on October 7, 2025.

This is the fruit of an ongoing ecological restoration project even in the extreme situation of war, and it is evidence of the will to continue life amidst destruction.

Rewilding, Allowing Nature to Heal Itself

To understand the Tarutino Steppe project, one must first know the concept of 'rewilding'.

Rewilding is an ecosystem conservation strategy focused on the self-sustaining power of ecosystems. It helps nature regain its self-sustaining ability by dismantling artificial structures or restoring contaminated sites.

The concept was first proposed in the 1990s by Dave Foreman, a representative of the environmental organization Earth First, and health biologist Michael Soulé, and it is now being institutionalized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Rewilding Working Group, which develops principles and guidelines for rewilding.

While traditional nature conservation involved selecting places that maintained an ideal form and enclosing them with fences, rewilding starts in damaged areas. Humans primarily introduce large mammals and then leave the animals and the local ecosystem to their own devices.

A representative case is the project to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1995. The return of wolves controlled the elk population, which led to the recovery of plant diversity and the return of other animals like beavers and eagles, resulting in the overall recovery of the ecosystem.

On October 13, 2025, the IUCN announced comprehensive rewilding guidelines. This is a major milestone for the global rewilding movement, providing a clear roadmap to accelerate natural recovery and restore healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems.

A Network Connecting the Netherlands to Ukraine

Leading the Tarutino Steppe project is 'Rewilding Ukraine'. Rewilding Ukraine is a non-governmental organization that promotes landscape restoration, wildlife return, and sustainable community development, and has been working to restore the Tarutino Steppe for over 6 years.

Supporting them is 'Rewilding Europe'. Rewilding Europe is an independent non-profit foundation established on June 28, 2011, in the Netherlands, actively working in 10 rewilding areas across 12 European countries.

Through the European Rewilding Network (ERN), it brings together rewilding initiatives across Europe, providing information and tools to each network member.

On February 24, 2022, when the Russian invasion began, Rewilding Ukraine Secretary General Mykhailo Nesterenko had to leave Ukraine with his family as his hometown Odesa was attacked.

He and communications officer Katya Kurakina are currently staying at the Rewilding Europe headquarters in Nijmegen, Netherlands, leading the project remotely.

Having dedicated 25 years to restoring the Danube Delta, Nesterenko has reintroduced key species such as kulan (wild donkey), buffalo, Konik horses, fallow deer, and Eurasian eagle-owls since founding Rewilding Ukraine in 2017.

The Great Cycle Created by Small Lives

The Tarutino Steppe is one of the last wild grasslands remaining in Ukraine and Europe. This area of 6,176 hectares paradoxically preserved a near-natural state while being used as a military training ground during the Soviet era.

In 2016, about 1,300 hectares were damaged due to illegal farming, but domestic and international campaigns halted the destruction, and the rewilding project began in earnest alongside natural restoration.

The reintroduction program, which started in 2020, has been carried out in phases. Following 2022 and 2023, a third group of 13 European hamsters was released into the Tarutino Steppe in September 2024. Unlike pet hamsters, wild European hamsters are large rodents that exceed 30 cm in body length and weigh over 500 g.

The burrows of hamsters provide habitats for other wildlife, enhance soil fertility, and contribute to ecosystem restoration by dispersing seeds. They are referred to as 'ecosystem engineers' because their small size has a cascading impact on the entire ecosystem.

In November 2024, 20 European fallow deer and 5 red deer were released into the Tarutino Steppe. The deer are expected to undergo an adaptation period in a compliance zone for one year before being fully released into the wild in the fall of 2025.

And finally, on October 7, 2025, 7 fallow deer were released into the wild of the Tarutino Steppe. Their natural grazing suppresses shrub encroachment, prevents wildfires, and creates favorable conditions for the steppe's plant and animal species.

Far from the Frontlines, but Not Safe

The rewilding landscape of the Danube Delta is far from major combat areas, so wildlife has not been directly affected. However, the shadow of war has also cast itself here.

Several mines deployed in the Black Sea have been carried by currents to the delta's estuary, and some have exploded in rewilding areas, causing fires in dry forested areas.

Ecotourism came to a halt overnight. Wildlife breeders were reluctant to sell animals due to fears of famine.

Nesterenko explained, "There are many things we cannot do, but we focus on what we and our partners can do." Some team members continued to visit the field, traveling between Romania and Ukraine, and worked on removing dams and levees.

A Future Chosen by the Community

The greatest strength of this project comes from the local community. In a social attitude survey conducted by the Rewilding Ukraine team in 2024 with 47 residents of the Borodino area, the residents showed overwhelming support for the rewilding project.

As the steppe becomes wilder, the number of visitors increases, and the residents of Borodino are benefiting economically. Nature-based tourism has become a new source of income, and residents welcomed the return of wildlife.

On June 5, 2023, World Environment Day, representatives from the Borodino community, the Volhynia District Office, the Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection, and scientific and civic organizations gathered to discuss the next steps for establishing the Buhaz Steppe National Nature Park.

Once the park is designated, 9,700 hectares of steppe landscape will receive the highest level of protection, and the scale of restoration for kulan and small mammals can be expanded.

The establishment of the park will create new jobs in Borodino and nearby areas, promote nature-based tourism, and support traditional agricultural forms based on grazing and haymaking.

In June 2025, the Buhaz village council, the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve, and Rewilding Ukraine will sign a tripartite cooperation memorandum to promote the establishment of a steppe biodiversity restoration center. This center will become a hub for the conservation of rare animals, birds, and reptiles.

For After the War Ends

Bird experts have monitored the bird population in the Tarutino Steppe for three consecutive years, confirming the presence of rare species such as golden eagles, black eagles, tawny owls, and black storks. Despite the challenging circumstances, 2024 was a decisive stage in the natural restoration process of this area.

In early 2022, a herd of kulan released in the Tarutino Steppe gave birth to a foal. This was the first case of a wild kulan being born in Europe in 200 years. Life continued even amidst war.

Nesterenko maintains a positive outlook despite concerns about how Ukraine will be rebuilt after the war.

"As our rewilding efforts in the Danube Delta show, Ukraine's nature is as resilient as the Ukrainian people, and the two depend on each other. I am confident that both will recover when the war ends."

In the long term, the conservation and restoration of the Tarutino Steppe will provide natural resources that can be used to restore other steppe ecosystems destroyed by war. The life that sprouts again from war-torn land proves the will to continue living amidst destruction.

In October 2025, the fallow deer that began to roam freely in the Tarutino Steppe are not just ordinary animals. They are seeds preparing for the time after the war and evidence that human dignity and the recovery of nature can go hand in hand.

Source

• Rewilding Europe (2025), "The Rewilding Ukraine team have just released a herd of seven fallow deer into the wild on the Tarutino Steppe"

• Rewilding Danube Delta (2024), "Danube Delta: Rewilding highlights 2024"

• Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (2024), "Social study discovers overwhelming support for rewilding the Tarutino Steppe in Ukraine"

• Rewilding Europe (2022, 2023, 2025), "Rewilding in Ukraine: uplifting progress in the face of adversity"

• Rewilding Magazine (2024), "Fighting for Wildlife in a Time of War"

• IUCN (2025), "New IUCN rewilding guidelines"

This article is a planned piece based on materials published as of mid-October 2025.