Protection and conservation of natural ecosystems is one of the tasks to be fulfilled by the staff of the Carpathian National Nature Park (hereinafter - the Park). This function is performed by the Service of State Protection, created in accordance with the Decree by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №1127 under the date of 14.07.2000 ‘On the Service of State Protection of Nature Conservation Foundation of Ukraine’. The above-mentioned decree outlines the following principal functions of this service:

• surveillance over compliance to the regime of territories and objects included in the Nature Conservation Fund. of Ukraine;
• prevention and termination of environmental law violations.

The Park resides in two territorial administrative units of Ivano-Frankivsk region, namely Yaremche city council and Verkhovyna district taking corresponding areas of 38,097 and 12,398 ha which totals in 50,495 ha.

Relevantly to the above-mentioned objectives the Service of State Protection coordinates and provides the following:

• guardianship of the Park’s natural complexes;
• order of use of natural resources;
• measures to prevent from breakout and propagation of fires and other emergencies;
• undertaking precautionary and protective measures to natural complexes to secure them from pests and diseases;
• maintenance of edge and security signs, informational banners, quarterly and plot stands, fire-preventive and other constructions in the proper order;
• renovation of aboriginal forest stands with silvicultural tools and through natural regeneration;
• organization and completion of silvicultural cuts;
• prevention of damage the woodlands suffer from illegal felling;
• control of special use of natural resources of the territory of nature conservation fund.

Department of State Protection and Conservation of Natural Ecosystems together with Science and Research Department performs the following tasks:

• organization completion of scientific and applied projects by the Service of State Protection;
• exercising scientific subject matter of the Natural records’ sections;
• pursuance of the study and research in the area of typological analysis on the material of primary forest types on the territory of science and research departments aimed at the renovation of aboriginal forest stands;
• education and upgrading qualification of the Service of State Protection;
• promotion of scientific activity of other organizations hosted by the Park and surveillance over their compliance to the established regime;
• study of impact making recommendations concerning the use of areas uncovered with forests (tillages, hayfields, grazing lands).

Total area of the Park constitutes 50,495 ha, i.e. 38,322 ha in permanent use and the remainder of 12,173 ha of land without exclusion from land-owners and land-users.

Woodlands make up 91% (34.8 thousand ha) of the total territory of the Park’s forest fund. 88% of these areas are covered with forest stands (factually 33.8 thousand ha), including cultivated stands (39%, 13.1 thousand ha). Lands unoccupied with woods take 9% (3.5 thousand ha) of the general area.

Dominant among the forest cultures are spruce (79%), fire (4%) and beech (10%) timber stands, the rest is made up with pine, cedar, alder and other species.

According to the age composition, the park’s woodlands are classified in the following way: young stand - 2.4 thousand ha (7%), middle-aged - 26.3 thousand ha (78%), ripening stand - 2 thousand ha (6%), mature and overmature - 3.1 thousand ha (9%). Average age is 77 years, mean density - 0.7.

The Carpathian Park has become subject to functional zoning in virtue of the ‘Project of organization of the Carpathian National Nature Park area, protection, renovation and recreational employment of its natural complexes and objects’, and was classified into the following areas:

• conservation area (11,401.4 ha);
• controlled recreation zone (25,953 ha);
• static recreation zone (106.6 ha);
• utility zone (860.9 ha).

Division of the Park’s territory into local nature-oriented science and research departments

No.	Name of nature-oriented science and research department	Area, ha	Administrative district of Yaremche city council, ha	Verkhovyna district
1	Yaremcha	3,075	3,075
2	Yamna	2,772	2,772
3	Pidlisna	3,078	3,078
4	Zhenets	4,017	4,017
5	Tatariv	3,270	3,270
6	Yablunytsia	2,575	2,575
7	Vorokhta	4,401	4,401
8	Voronenka	2,633	2,633
9	Goverla	5,570	5,570
10	Bystrets	2,564		2,564
11	Vysokohirne	2,049		2,049
12	Chornohora	2,328		2,328
Non-excluded lands		12,173	6,716	5,457
Total, ha		50,495	38,097	12,398

Non-excluded park lands are divided into 20 working circuits and 83 ranger districts. A working circuit takes the mean area 1,905 ha, the average territory of a ranger district is 460 ha.

The Service of State Protection is headed by the Director of the Park. The Service’s personnel includes: chief environmentalist, chief officer of the Department of State Protection and Conservation of Natural Ecosystems (DSPCNE), assistant head of the Department, chief engineer of forest conservation and protection, chief game manager, chief forest renovation engineer, chief forest pathologist, pyrology engineer, engineer of conservation areas, heads of local nature-oriented science and research departments, deputy heads of local nature-oriented science and research departments, nature protection rangers, inspectors.