The nature reserve fund of Ukraine is protected as a national patrimony. There is a special regime of its protection, renewal and use aimed at conservation of landscape diversity, flora and fauna gene pool, maintenance of general environmental balance. 

The area of the nature-reserve fund has grown up twice since Ukrainian independence. It is composed of more than 7,000 protected areas covering 2.8 million ha, which is 4% of the national territory. The nature reserve fund includes 17 nature and 4 biosphere reserves, 19 national nature parks, 45 regional landscape parks, 3078 nature monuments, 2729 wildlife reserves, 616 botanical and zoological gardens, dendroparks and City parks and recreation areas, 793 protected sites.

Nevertheless, the National Protected Area System of Ukraine is low and stays significantly lower than in a majority of European countries, where the average protected are coverage is 15%.

The gap between funding needs and what is available is manifested in persistent threats to the globally significant biodiversity sheltered in Ukrainian PAs, which are primarily habitat loss and degradation, and over harvesting of species. 

The UNDP/GEF Project “Strengthening governance and financial sustainability of the national protected area system in Ukraine” is being mplemented with an objective of enhancing the financial sustainability and strengthening institutional capacity of the PA system in Ukraine.