The Department of Rational Use of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection trains specialists in bachelor’s and master’s programs in the specialty “Geography.”
The department provides instruction in several normative courses for specialties 106 “Geography,” 014 “Secondary Education (Geography),” 103 “Earth Sciences,” and also specialty 183 “Technology of Environmental Protection.”
These include: “Basics of Ecology,” “Ecology and Education for Sustainable Development” (Assoc. Prof. I. Koynova); “Biogeography and Geobotany” (Assoc. Prof. N. Blazhko); “Biogeography and Environmental Protection” (Assoc. Prof. I. Rozhko); “Rational Nature Management” (Assoc. Prof. I. Rozhko); “Adaptation to Climate Change” (Assoc. Prof. I. Koynova); “Conceptual Foundations of Environmental Philosophy” (Assoc. Prof. P. Telish); “Ecological Technologies” (Assoc. Prof. I. Rozhko), for which educational and methodological manuals have been developed.
The department actively supports a student scientific environmental group, led by Associate Professors I. Koynova, I. Rozhko, and B. Senchyna, and supervised by laboratory head S. Zyozin. A key task of the group is practical and theoretical environmental awareness and nature conservation activities. Students participate in scientific research, presenting their findings at national and international conferences, publishing articles, and repeatedly winning prizes in olympiads and research competitions. The best students continue their education at the postgraduate level.
The department staff includes: Head of the Department Associate Professor I. Rozhko (since 2018), Associate Professors B. Senchyna, I. Koynova, N. Blazhko, P. Telish, O. Perkhach, Senior Lecturer, Geographer S. Zyozin. Permanent administrative and support staff include: Head of the Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Senior Researcher, Geographer S. Zyozin; Laboratory Assistant D. Kruk, and Laboratory Engineer L. Kruk.
Faculty members, researchers, postgraduate students, and students of the department have published over 1,100 scientific papers, including 40 monographs (some in foreign languages), more than 70 textbooks, educational and methodological manuals, atlases, dictionaries, and reference books. A significant scientific achievement of the department is the monograph “Lviv Region: Natural Conditions and Resources”, edited by Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor M. M. Nazarkevych. The monograph, comprising 592 pages, was published in 2018 to mark the 30th anniversary of the department.