The Kaniv Nature Reserve — a place where life revives

For a hundred years, felled forests have been restored in the Kaniv Reserve. Now it is a territory that lives by the laws of nature. Here you can enjoy the Dnipro’s mighty floodplains and listen to the rare birds sing. However, the local landscapes hide countless painful memories.

The entire territory of the reserve is taken care of by the Gryshchenko family. Yevheniia and Vitalii were once united by a love of nature. And now the couple is engaged in local life: counting bird nests, caring for trees, watching the mighty Dnipro, and talking about how the reserve comes to life again.

Why would the Kaniv hills never appear on the map? What rare birds live in the reserve? Do they really have singing dialects like human speech? Take a listen to the premiere episode of the Ukrainian Routes podcast's special season, "Drop Me Off."

In English, narrated by Istan Rozumny, Mariah Alexis Jacobs and Alexander Kvartalny

Scriptwriter: Valeriia Pasichnyk

Editor: Anna Yabluchna

Producer: Kateryna Polivchak

Sound engineer and sound designer: Liubov Huk

Recording partner — IZONE Media Studio

The special season was created with the support of the UNDP.