Cricetus cricetus in Chernihiv Region. The common hamster is a protected species in Ukraine and most other European countries

Northern Ukraine. Primarily this landscape is preserved in the steppe valleys, that where primarily used as pastures. Such landscape is one of the least studied, especially in comparison with forests and wetlands. To save them some urgent activities are required. First of them should be the survey of these landscapes and identify the most important places where nature conservation should be focused on. We choose mammals because first of all they represent the highest levels in ecological pyramids and are very important in the survival and normal functioning of the ecosystem. The second, most of these species are on the edge of extinction either regionally or even worldwide. Thus their conservation alone is a very important task.

Our study is focused on two very important groups: rodents and predators. First includes the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), the speckled ground squirrel (Spermophilus suslicus), the Podolian mole-rat (Spalax zemni), the southern birch mouse (Sicista subtilis) and the dwarf-hamster (Cricetulus migratorius). All of them are protected in Ukraine, many suffer from significant decrease in distribution and densities through most of their range. Many of this species are very important source of food for birds of prey and mammal predators. The shrinkage of many birds of prey is believed to be connected with the disappear of ground squirrels and hamsters.

The second group are mustelids: marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna),steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanni), European polecat (Mustela putorius), weasel (Mustela nivalis), ermine (Mustela erminea). The stable populations of these species are a good marker of an ecosystem with high biodiversity, thus of very high importance. The obtained data should serve as strong basis for applying of a special protection status for the most valuable areas. Also attraction of public awareness is another important activity.