European Dry Grassland Group in cooperation with Ukrainian Academy of Sciences organized international conference concerning diversity and protection of xerothermic grasslands. The conference took place in Humań city (Central Ukraine) in czerkaski region. The plenary session lasted for two days and several tens of oral presentations and posters was presented. Piotr Chmielewski form our "Life team" had oral presentation concerning the project: "Conservation and restoration of xerothermic grasslands in Poland - theory and practice". Piotr described theoretical background and planned activity in the project as well as presented preliminary results and expected ecological impact of our activity. The plenary session was closed with official dinner in "Zofiówka" dendrological park. During several trips into the field participants of the conference visited several places in Boh river valley ("Buz'ky Gard" National Park) overgrown with steppe-like vegetation as well burial mound (kurgan) located in the vicinity of Kuripczino willage (close to Kijów-Mykolaiv road) with interesting xerothermic vegetation. Next we visited biosphere reserve "Askania Nova" covering over 10 000 ha of steppe and moved into National Park "Oleshkivsky Pisky" in Chersoń region. During the trips we observed several rare plants that are absent in Poland: Onosma macrochaeta, Achillea micranthoides, Orobanche caesia, Bellevalia sarmatica, Aegilops cylindrica, Phlomis pungens, Salvia aethiopis, Echium italicum, Chamaecytisus graniticus, Inula oculus-christi, Linum tenuifolium and many others. Pictures from Ukraine will be available in the gallery.

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