Local Voices Uncover Hidden Needs in Ukraine’s Post-War Recovery

Returning to three villages close to Kyiv after liberation, Ukrainian residents were met with destroyed homes, flooded land, polluted water and forests littered with unexploded mines. They had lost the most fundamental ecosystem services such as clean air and fresh water, yet researchers were surprised to find that there was something else that people missed the most.

Through door-to-door interviews, conducted together with master students from Ukrainian universities, researchers explored how the war has affected people’s relationship with nature. It became clear that the loss of cultural ecosystem services left the deepest scars, such as the inability to dig in the garden, meet neighbours in shared green areas or walk into the forest to pick berries.

“Everything had been destroyed, and at first, they didn't believe they could keep living in these places. But what kept them going, as they explained to us, was their attachment to the land, the feeling that it was still theirs, says Marine Elbakidze, researcher at SLU and lead author of the study.

Many Ukrainians have small home gardens that hold emotional value. Gardening and other greening activities plays a key role in their mental recovery, the study highlights.

“They described almost spiritually how meaningful it was to get their hands back in the soil. It is their soil, their home. It helps them to reconnect with the land”, says Brian Kuns, researcher at SLU and co-author of the study.

Green parks as substitutes for forests

The forests surrounding the villages remain dangerous due to unexploded mines and other explosives, and access is restricted. For many residents, this means more than losing mushrooms and berries – it is a loss of belonging.

“People spoke about the forest in existential terms. They remembered going there with their families. It holds very personal meaning for them”, says Brian.

Since there are no resources or time to clear the forests, local communities have begun creating small parks and shared green spaces within the settlements where they can gather.

“These spaces quickly became important. Before the occupation there was no need for parks because the forest was so close”, says Marine.

What should post-war restoration prioritise?

The study highlights critical steps in the restoration process: demining forests, restoring gardens, improving urban greenspaces, and preserving newly formed wetlands. But since cultural ecosystem services involve social and emotional dimensions rather than purely physical, they tend to be overlooked in top-down restoration efforts, the researchers emphasise.

“Restoration programs are frequently led by foreign experts or government. That can mean decisions are made without considering what local communities value. It is important to integrate their perspectives, since they may not be visible in these processes or have capacity to advocate for their needs”, says Marine.