Page 79 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

Regimental Support Catalyses Environmental Training IProgramme in Ukraine
Ukrainian veterans and scientists have embarked on a pio- neering environmental collaboration marking a significant stride in understanding and mitigating the war’s impact on farmland.
Edward Hall’s unexpected conversation with Captain Ben Unwin of the King’s Royal Hussars, sparked the creation of an innovative training programme, combining the military envi- ronment and scientists.
Satellites and remote sensing technology such as drones reflect the extraordinary advances in sensor technology, and cutting- edge technology was in play here, however ultimately it is about observations on the ground, collecting samples, analys- ing the data and drawing insights from it. Fieldwork can be challenging especially in an active war zone. How then might you begin to prepare a team of British and Ukrainian scientists for undertaking such work?
Gaining access to the British Army’s training area on Salisbury Plain for hands-on training was made possible through swift coordination by Captain Ben Unwin and WO2 Dave Oakes, and Rear Admiral Rix where scientists were surrounded by Challengers, Warriors, a C130 overhead and a substantial number of dismounted troops. These were Ukrainians being trained so it was entirely suitable that we should be setting out protocols to test and remediate farmland in Ukraine sur- rounded by Ukrainian soldiers!
Professor Olena Mylnyk said “our training programme has become unique in its kind, and inspiration and support from the King’s Royal Hussars allowed this programme to develop and grow.”
The environmental impact of war extends beyond immedi- ate destruction, affecting ecosystems and human health in the long term. Monitoring these impacts requires a combination of technology, fieldwork, and international cooperation to under- stand the full extent and to plan for restoration and mitigation efforts.
Those field trials provided the springboard for building a col- laboration between the scientists from the Royal Agricultural University and Sumy National Agrarian University in Ukraine.
By November the first joint training programme for environ- mental monitors was underway in Ukraine with an initial group of 26 being trained to assess the soil damaged as a result of hostilities, including 4 veterans.
The idea is to expand this programme to reskill former military personnel with a background in agriculture, GIS, environmen- tal protection who at the end of the course will be able to work as environmental monitors.
The inclusion of veterans is significant because one of the chal- lenges in building the peace will be finding jobs for veterans who may no longer be able to return to the jobs they had before the war. Clearly there will be an urgent need for people who can map and monitor the contamination and any other threats such as mines and UXO.
Such an initiative in Ukraine may build on the inspiration of a programme pioneered by Supporting Wounded Veterans (SWV). SWV’s Rivers’ Forum aims to provide unique oppor- tunities for those Veterans who wish to form a new career path in the conservation and rivers sector while helping to fight the river pollution problem as well. The challenge to restore Ukraine’s agricultural sector and remediate the damage to the environment will be much larger and more acute.
For more information about this programme and the work that Edward Hall and the team has been supporting see: https:// www.lsngroup.org/environmental-monitoring . With thanks to Prof Olena Melnyk for reviewing this article and Jilly Norton, Founder of the charity Supporting Wounded Veterans.
EH
The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 79
n a unique blend of military expertise and environment
Left to right: WO2 Dave Oakes, Edward Hall, Captain Ben Unwin, Rear Admiral Anthony Rix
The day on the ranges was even more realistic as a result of a training exercise with the Ukrainian army.