Scottish and Ukrainian scientists join forces for research on sustainable land management

“UNFU scientists are very excited to sign this memorandum of understanding with the James Hutton Institute in the view of developing fruitful collaboration between our organisations and our two countries.”

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Ukrainian National Forestry University (UNFU) and the James Hutton Institute to promote cooperation in scientific research on sustainability, ecosystem service issues, climate change, green energy, circular economies and social innovation in marginalized rural areas.

The MoU was signed by Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, and Professor Yuriy Tunytsya, Rector of UNFU and an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Both institutions are interested in cooperating on educational and research programmes, with emphasis on knowledge exchange and the implementation of joint scientific projects to address environmental issues, sustainable land management and use of natural assets.

Professor Maria Nijnik, principal scientist at the Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group, and her joint Hutton-UNFU PhD student Mariana Melnykovych played a leading role in bringing the two institutions together.

Professor Nijnik said: “The main objective of the MoU is to strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions in research to address environmental challenges and enhance sustainable management of natural assets, including forest ecosystem services, using existing funding and available resources.”

Professor Tunytsya added: “UNFU is the only higher educational forestry and environmentally oriented institution in Ukraine that trains professionals for the forestry sector and related fields of the economy.

“It conducts research in the fields of sustainable use of natural resources, forestry and woodland development, forest ecosystem management, ecological economics, environmental protection, landscape architecture, etc.

“UNFU scientists are very excited to sign this memorandum of understanding with the James Hutton Institute in the view of developing fruitful collaboration between our organisations and our two countries.”