Biodiversity records from Ukraine and neighbouring countries extracted from digitalized rare Ukrainian publications

These data were originally published in the early XX century in some of the rarest local scientific journals issued by Ukrainian universities, research institutes, nature reserves, and scientific societies of that time. The early XX century marked a period of remarkable growth in scientific and conservation activity in Ukraine, during which numerous scientific periodicals were published simultaneously in different cities, extensive field studies were conducted, and large zoological, botanical, and herbarium collections were established.

Unfortunately, most of these publications have now become bibliographic rarities. Some survive only in one or two copies, often held outside of central scientific libraries. One of the main reasons for their extreme rarity lies in the period of Soviet repressions of the 1930s, when, under directives of the party leadership, the majority of scientists, conservationists, and members of the Ukrainian intelligentsia were persecuted or executed.