Ermakov Island

With an area of 3,500 ha, Ermakov Island is one of the bigger islands in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. In the 1970’s dikes were erected and the island was drained to make way for agriculture. The agricultural experiment proved unsuccessful, and the once-lush wetland area turned barren.

In 2009, as part of a WWF project, a section of a dike on Ermakov Island was removed. Breaching the dikes that surround the island reconnected the island's barren interior to the life force of the Danube's seasonal flooding.

Removal of the dike has made way for annual spring flooding, which returned water and life to the island's interior. The barren fields that marked much of the island have become flooded, creating lakes that provide rich feeding, breeding and spawning areas for fish, flora and fauna.

The removal of the dike follows the conclusion of a 2008 agreement between WWF, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and the Kilya district administration to restore the former wetlands of Ermakov Island.

The restoration project contributes to realization of a vision for the protection and restoration of the Danube Delta in Ukraine that was developed by WWF in cooperation with relevant Ukrainian authorities, including the Odessa regional government and water management authority.