10.01.1933 – 13.12.2019
Master of the Plant World and Pioneer of Ukrainian Geobotany
Yurii Romanovych Sheliag-Sosonko was not just a scientist; he was a pioneer of Ukrainian geobotany. His 86-year life journey, which ended in December 2019, was dedicated to researching, systematizing, and preserving Ukraine's plant cover. He left behind not just over 500 scientific works and 34 monographs, but a foundation on which modern understanding of Ukrainian nature is built and conservation measures are formed.
Graduated from Chernivtsi State University4
Began working at the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR4
Defended his Candidate of Sciences dissertation4
Defended his Doctor of Sciences dissertation4
Became a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine4
Became a Full Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine4
For many years, he was a member of the Academic Council of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany and served on the editorial boards of publications such as the "Ukrainian Botanical Journal"4 .
This journey testifies not only to personal tirelessness but also to the revival and strengthening of the Ukrainian botanical school in the second half of the 20th century.
One of the most important works, which remains relevant today, is "Geobotanical Zoning of Ukraine and Adjacent Territories", co-authored with Ya.P. Didukh2 4 .
This fundamental research laid the foundation for understanding the spatial distribution of vegetation in Ukraine and adjacent lands.
Academician Sheliag-Sosonko was one of those who stood at the origins of the world's first Green Book of Ukraine4 .
While the Red Book covers endangered species, the Green Book focuses on preserving rare and typical plant communities.
In his work "Paradigm of Phytocenology" (1989), the scientist laid the theoretical foundations of the modern science of plant communities4 .
He also developed the method of specific floras, which allows for highly accurate analysis of species composition in specific territories2 .
| Work Title | Year | Main Topic | Scientific Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Geobotanical Zoning of Ukraine and Adjacent Territories"2 | 2003 | Zoning of plant cover | Fundamental basis for ecological network |
| "Vegetation Cover of Mountainous Crimea"2 | 1992 | Structure and dynamics of Crimean flora | Comprehensive analysis of a unique region |
| "Concept, Methods and Criteria for Creating Ukraine's Ecosytem"2 | 2004 | Creation of national ecological network | Practical guide for nature conservation |
| "Methodology of Geobotany"4 | 1991 | Theoretical foundations of geobotany | Systematization of scientific methodology |
| "Green Book of Ukraine"4 | Various years | Protection of plant communities | Legislative protection of phytocenoses |
Although Yurii Sheliag-Sosonko did not conduct experiments in the classical sense, his most important "experiment" can be considered the development of scientific foundations for the Unified Ecological Network (Econet) of Ukraine.
The work on building the ecological network was based on a comprehensive approach that combined:
The main result of this many years of work was the Econet concept, which defined:
Territories with the highest concentration of biodiversity subject to strict protection (reserves, national nature parks).
Linear landscape elements (forest belts, river valleys) that provide connection between cores and species migration.
Territories surrounding cores where economic activity is limited to protect the cores.
Reclamation and return to the ecological network of degraded land areas being restored.
| Econet Component | Function | Example in Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | Preservation of key biodiversity hotspots | Reserves (Yalta Mountain-Forest, Karadag)4 |
| Ecological Corridors | Connection between cores, species migration | Forest tracts, valleys of large rivers (Dnipro, Danube) |
| Buffer Zones | Protection of cores from negative impact | Protective zones around protected territories |
| Restoration Territories | Reclamation and return to the ecological network | Sections of degraded lands being restored |
The work of a geobotanist is based not on reagents in test tubes, but on a whole complex of field and laboratory methods. Yurii Sheliag-Sosonko improved and actively applied the following "tools":
| Method/Approach | Function and Application |
|---|---|
| Method of Geobotanical Descriptions | Detailed recording of species composition, projective cover, and structure of plant communities on sample plots. |
| Geobotanical Mapping | Visualization of the spatial distribution of vegetation, which is the basis for zoning2 4 . |
| Specific Floristic Analysis | Study of the entire set of plant species in a specific small territory for subsequent florogenetic analysis2 . |
| System Analysis | Consideration of plant cover as an integral system, allowing the study of its dynamics and evolution4 . |
| Ecological-Coenotic Analysis | Study of the relationships between plants and the environment, determination of the role of rare and relict species1 . |
Yurii Romanovych Sheliag-Sosonko was a scientist whose contribution is difficult to overestimate. He is rightfully considered the founder of his own geobotanical school in Ukraine4 . Under his guidance, a whole pleiad of students grew up who continue to develop his ideas.
His monographs about Ukraine's nature reserves – Yalta Mountain-Forest, Karadag, "Cape Martyan", Danube floodplains – became models of a comprehensive approach to describing and protecting unique ecosystems4 .
His scientific interests were incredibly broad: from the study of grasses of Ukraine and synanthropic vegetation to the development of geobotany methodology and global issues of biodiversity2 4 . In his last works, he reflected on the role of biodiversity at the present stage of civilization and the relationship between science and society4 .
Academician Yurii Sheliag-Sosonko lived a life full of scientific searches and discoveries. He did not simply study the plant world of Ukraine – he created its scientific image, systematized it, and laid the foundations for its preservation for future generations.
His works continue to be relevant not only for botanists but also for ecologists, geographers, workers in the reserve system, and all those who care about the preservation of Ukrainian nature. The bright memory of this outstanding scientist continues to live in his works, students, and in the green cover of the Homeland to which he dedicated his life.