Clean Rivers is a Greenworks-sponsored project focusing on river clean-up and geotourism along the Sukel’ River in the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine.

About

Map inset with São Paulo state outlined thickly, the Vale do Ribeiro region in the south outlined an shaded in green, with a red line from Campinas in the central part of the state down to Guapiruvu in the Vale do Ribeira region starred. Additional important cities for the project are highlighted, including Sete Barras directly to the east of Guapiruvu and Iguape and Cananéia to the south on the coast.

Where is the Sukel’ River?

The Sukel’ River valley is located in western Ukraine within the Carpathian Mountains. It flows through several villages and towns in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, including Bolekhiv, which is known for the ruins of its saltworks. The Dovbush Rocks are an important geological and tourist attraction in the region, often associated with the Robin Hood-style folk hero Oleksa Dovbush.

We are working with faculty at Lviv Polytechnic to help them develop an extension network with local communities in the Sukel’ River valley and Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism.

Who Lives There?

Five people sitting around a table, one young woman and four older gentleman. There is an EU flag and Ukrainian flag on the table.

A number of Carpathian groups live throughout the region, including the Lemkos, Boykos, and Hutsuls. The Sukel’ River Valley lies within the traditional lands of the Boykos. The current residents of the villages in the region primarily engage in agriculture, forestry, and ecotourism.

What are We Doing?

Two men standing in a field with surveying equipment on a tripod. The field is dry as the grass is resting during winter. In front is a river and behind in the distance are trees and a small mountain

We are working to develop a robust extension community involving Lviv Polytechnic and communities and educational institutions in the Sukel’ River Valley region to develop knowledge, research, and teaching resources about the river and surrounding geoforms for use in tourism activities.

What is Geotourism?

Geotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on a region’s geological features, landscapes, and natural environments while promoting conservation, sustainability, and education. It aims to provide visitors with an understanding of and appreciation for the geological heritage and processes that have shaped the Earth’s surface, such as rock formations, fossils, volcanic activity, and other natural phenomena.

Geotourism is closely tied to geoethics, a field of study that studies the interactions of humans and the physical environment. Geoethics thinks deeply about the duties and responsibilities of humans as they interact with Earth systems. Sustainable geotourism is one way of helping highlight these Earth systems and the ethics of interacting with the system.

Layered rocks covered in tree roots rise up at an angle from a river that gently curves around large rocks and pebbles

Gray rocks split at an angle sitting on moss-covered rocks and ferns

A powerful waterfall tumbles over moss-covered cliffs into a pool of water below

A dark forest with moss and fern covering the floor and thin trees growing towards the sun

An older gentleman squatting by a river with a jar, getting reading to collect water from a clear river on the left flowing over rocks and leaf debris, with a bridge in the background

1) The Sukel’ River and its geoforms; 2) Flukovi Rocks along the Sukel’ River; 3) Kozakivka Waterfall on the Sukel’ River; 4) Carpathian forest; 5) Illegal construction dump along the Sukel’ River; 6) Ihor sampling the water of the Sukel’ River for further analysis [photos by Ihor Bubniak]

Project Progress

A mixed group of young adult men and women, with an older gentleman centered, sit around a table and lean forward to listen to a presentation

A young woman stands near a descriptive sign that describes the geology of the region

A smiling man is holding a drone overhead, ready to launch, with controls in his other hand

Two men operating survey equipment, with one looking through the device across a river

Two men stand in a field talking, with farms and mountains in the background

Five people are standing on the bank of a river flowing through a field of grass, with a forest in the background

An older bald gentleman with a grey mustache smiles for the camera

An older gentleman in a lab coat holding a closed jar with water, a young woman in a lab coat, and another older gentleman in a tie and sweater holding a flask with water

Project Roadmap

2025 Roadmap

Complete the Greenworks Project Design curriculum with students at various univerities to generate new project ideas for Clean Rivers
Develop a geotourism plan for the Sukel’ River region with students and faculty at Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism
Develop learning resources for geotourism projects in the Sukel’ River region and associated towns and villages

Beyond 2025

Train community members in basic research methodologies for river monitoring and clean-up
Expand project to investigate soil health and cleanliness in the Sukel’ River valley and associated communities
Develop renown geotourism program and expand to nearby communities and river systems

Recent Updates

March 2025 – Ihor and Lev worked to prepare the Project Design curriculum in Ukrainian to be used with students at Lviv Polytechnic, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism.
October 2024 – Ihor and Kateryna analyzed water collected from the Sukel’ River and discovered that the water was cleaner than expected.
May 2024 – The team mapped the opposite side of the river from the Dovbush Rocks, and discovered an illegal construction dump near the village of Polianytsia as well as a lower environmental impact from recreational activity due to lack of recreational infrastructure.
April 2024 – The team worked to map the geologic outcrops and spontaneous dumps farther up-river, with dumps identified near the village of Kozakivka. Additionally, they identified significant erosion of topsoil due to unregulated use of horses, ATVs, and motocycles near the Dovbush Rock Formation.
March 2024 – Ihor, Andrij, Anatolii, and Kateryna surveyed the Sukel’ River in the Bolekhiv area via laser scanning and drones. Additionally, they spoke with the sawmill owner Mykola to discuss managing water pollution from the mill.
January 2024 – The Clean River project began, with Dr. Ihor Bubniak and his team from Lviv Polytechnic visitng the Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism in Bolekhiv as well as the Bolekhiv City Council to discuss the project and its goals.