Educational Laboratory of Ecological Expertise is a structural unit of the Department of Rational Use of Natural Resources and Nature Conservation of the Faculty of Geography. The Laboratory was set up February 1, 2005 according to the Rector’s order No 594 of March 4, 2005. The Laboratory’s main task is to provide organizational, methodological and logistic support to achieve high standards of teaching disciplines at the Department, assist students and professors in educational and scientific work. The Laboratory is run by the Chief Manager – Candidate of Geographical Sciences Pavlo S. Telish, and two assistants – Lyubov D. Kruk and Maria Ye. Kret.

The Laboratory is basic for doing laboratory, practical and seminar classes on the courses as follows: “Ecological Expertise”, “Ecological Cartography”, “Natural Environmental Valuation”. Oxygen meter (АЖА-101МА), pH meter and portable complex laboratory for water analysis (СКЛАВ-1) are on offer at the Laboratory. Purchasing modern portable measuring devices such as portable laboratory for express-analysis of water, gas analyzer, radiometer, GPS navigator to measure main parameters of the state of environment when doing practical and laboratory assignments is being planned.

The Laboratory is available for students and PhD students while working on scientific papers. In 2011 the dissertation “Ecological-Geographical Bases for the Complex Use of Forest Resources in Upper Dniester Beskids” (Chief Manager P. Telish) and a number of Diploma papers: “Situation with Atmospheric Air Pollution in the City of Lviv and Ways of its Minimization”, (O. Maryniak, 2010), “Evaluation of the Main Sources of Pollution Impact on the State of Atmospheric Air in Lviv Region”, (S. Hrebeniuk, 2010), “Forest Resources of Drohobych Subsidiary Forest Enterprise “Halsillis”: structure, state of use and management problems” (I. Vintoniak, 2011).

The Laboratory staff deal with preparation and conducting educational practice and internships, scientific workshops and conferences. In 2013 they were actively involved in organizing Second International Scientific Workshop “Region’s Natural Resources: problems of valuation, use and protection”, dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of the Department of Rational Use of Natural Resources and Nature Conservation of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

The Laboratory staff also takes part in editing textbooks, manuals, lectures, methodological guidelines as well as scientific articles, collections of research papers, monographs, maps, etc. In 2013-14 the Bulletin of the Lviv University, Geography series, ed. 45, a number of manuals (“Fundamentals of Ecology”, 2012, “Environmental Philosophy and Nature Management”, 2013) were arranged and prepared for printing at the Laboratory. They actively participate in scientific conferences and cooperate with scholars of Ukraine and Poland. In 2014 the senior assistant M. Kret did her internship in Poland.

The information about the Department on the web-site of the Faculty of Geography is constantly renewed by the Laboratory personnel. They are also in charge of fire safety and labour protection at the Department.