14^th CONGRESS OF EUROPEAN MYCOLOGISTS

The number of rooms in each category is limited, and places will be allocated on a "first come, first served" basis.

Costs, Registration & Payments

A Registration Form accompanies this Second Circular. Please supply the information requested by e-mail or conventional post. Send it as soon as possible to the XIV CEM Secretariat, attaching a photocopy or scanned JPG-format image of your payment order (remember to keep copies for yourself). Ensure you register before 1 April 2003. Registration fee payment must be by direct electronic transfer (telegraphic transfer) in Euro (€). Sending funds from outside the UK, your bank should use the "SWIFT" system, quoting the following details. Bank Name: HSBC, Douglas, Isle of Man. SWIFT Code: MIDLGB22. Account Number: 37863237. Account name: Nationwide International - Euro Account. Reference: D.W. Minter (80024304). Sending funds from the UK, your bank should use the "CHAPS" system, quoting the following details. Bank Name: HSBC, Douglas, Isle of Man. Sort Code: 40-05-15. Account Number: 37863237. Account name: Nationwide International - Euro Account. Reference: D.W. Minter (80024304). Confirmation of registration will be sent after full payment of the registration fee is received.

The registration fee for participants is €300. Payment of this fee covers the following:

The registration fee for accompanying persons is €200. Payment of this fee covers the following:

The registration fee for student participants is €150. This fee category is only available to students who can prove their status with an official document issued by their university or other place of further education, and the award is entirely discretionary. This reduced fee is only possible thanks to the generous support of the British Mycological Society and the Systematics Association. Together with that support, payment of this fee covers the following:

Registrations received after 31 March 2003 and up to 31 August 2003 will be subject to a surcharge of 20% above the prices cited above, so that after that date the registration fees will be as follows: participants (€360), accompanying persons (€240), students (€180). After 31 August no further registrations will be accepted.

Cancellations received before 1 June 2003 will be subject to a 20% charge on the amount paid. Cancellations received between 1 June 2003 and 31 August 2003 will be subject to a 50% charge on the amount paid. Thereafter no refund will be made.

A very small amount of support may be available to help a limited number of people to participate. This support will only be provided in cases where genuine need is demonstrated, and will be entirely discretionary. Individuals willing to sponsor other participants are invited to indicate that support in the appropriate place on the registration form. Participants requiring a letter of invitation from the Congress should please mark the appropriate box on the Registration Form.

Travel Arrangements

This section will contain some information already common knowledge for participants from Eastern Europe, and may therefore be more useful to participants from Western Europe who are unlikely to be familiar with travel in Ukraine. Everyone is likely to enjoy the superb views of the Crimean mountains on the road journey between Simferopol' and Katsiveli.

Flight schedules to Simferopol' airport can be found on the internet (http://www.gpntb.ru/win/inter-events/crimea2002/eng/shedul.html) as can information about Kiev Borispol Airport (http://www.airport-kiev.com.ua/eng/). A useful company specialist in travel to Ukraine is Bob Sopel Ukrainian Travel (address: Falcon House, Victoria Street, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 0HB, UK. Tel.: +44 (0) 161 652-5050. Website: http://www.ukraine.co.uk). You could also try Kiyavia (website: http://www.kiyavia.com/). So long as prior notice is given to the Organizers, participants from Western Europe arriving at Simferopol' airport will be met by an English-speaking representative from the Congress.

At the time of writing, there is one direct flight per week from Western Europe to Crimea. This flight, which in 2003 is expected to operate on Saturdays throughout the summer months, until the end of October, is operated between Frankfurt and Simferopol' by Air Ukraine International, using a Boeing. In 2002, the flight arrived in Simferopol' from Frankfurt at about 15.15, and left Simferopol' for Frankfurt at about 16.35. Flight times for 2003 are expected to be broadly similar. If you intend to use this direct flight, and decide you need extra nights of accommodation in Katsiveli, the Organizing Committee can arrange this for you, given reasonable advance notice.

There are, in addition, direct international flights to Simferopol' from Istanbul, Minsk, Moscow, St Petersburg, Tashkent, Tel Aviv and Yerevan, and direct internal flights to Kiev and Dnipropetrovsk. Of these, the daily flights to and from Kiev (about 1 hour 50 minutes in an Antonov) are most likely to be useful to foreign participants. Internal flights within Ukraine tend to be inexpensive (a single from Kiev to Simferopol' is currently about €50). Using those flights, most if not all Europeans will be able to travel from their home country to Crimea in a single day, if desired. It is, however, important to note that flights to Crimea from Kiev generally depart from Kiev's Zhuliany Airport, while international flights come and go from Kiev's Borispol' Airport. Transfer between airports can be arranged when booking flights, and is recommended for those not familiar with Ukraine.

At the time of writing, rail travel in Ukraine is cheap by Western European standards, and in the last few years huge resources have been poured into improving Ukraine's railways and mainline stations, some of which are now almost tourist attractions in themselves. This has made rail is a good way to travel in Ukraine, particularly if one wants some pleasant experiences of real life in this interesting country. Internet information about railways in Ukraine exists at several sites, including http://www.uz.gov.ua/rasp/prib_eng.htm and http://www.poezda.net/train.htm.

Inter-city trains are in general clean and comfortable with good sleeping accommodation, and usually on time (though the speeds required by timetables are not challenging). There are three classes of travel on these trains: platzkart, the cheapest (a single from Kiev to Simferopol' is currently about €8), an open coach with dormitory-like arrangements for sleeping, and probably a little basic for many; coupé, middle cost (a single from Kiev to Simferopol' is currently about €15), a cabin shared by four people; spalny vagon, most expensive (a single from Kiev to Simferopol' is currently about €40), a cabin shared by two people. In general there is no segregation of sexes. Each coach has a supervisor who provides clean bed linen and endless cups of tea or coffee all at a very moderate cost.

The down side of all this is that the system of buying rail tickets in advance in Ukraine is byzantine in complexity, and certainly not for the first time visitor. Rail travel in Ukraine is however most agreeable when a group of four friends or colleagues shares a single coupé compartment. If there is sufficient interest from western participants wishing to take a more leisurely trip between Kiev and Crimea, the Congress Organizers will arrange for a group to travel in this way (including onward road travel to Katsiveli) accompanied by someone familiar with the system, including organization of ticket purchase. If interested, please indicate in the appropriate place on the Registration Form. Several trains leave Kiev each day for Simferopol', generally in the late afternoon or evening, arriving the following morning. The return journey is similarly timed, with trains leaving Simferopol' for Kiev in the late afternoon or evening, again arriving the following morning. Participants wishing to travel between Kiev and Crimea by train should note that an overnight stay in Kiev on either side of the trip may be prudent, as rail and flight times do not permit a reliable same-day connexion.

Regular and frequent trolleybuses run from Simferopol' to Yalta. Board them outside Simferopol's main railway station. Anyone not local may expect offers of alternative and more expensive minibus transport by persistent touts. Long-distance coach services exist between many European cities and Kiev (for example http://www.transmittersrus.com/ukraine/index.htm), and these tend to be an inexpensive if slow way to travel to Ukraine. There is an overnight coach service between Kiev's Borispol' Airport and Yalta. Within Ukraine there is also an inter-city 'bus service, but this is very little used by people who cannot read Ukrainian or Russian. For information about this service, see http://www.bus.com.ua/ [website in Russian]. There is also English information about 'bus departures from Kiev's Central 'Bus Station (http://koiwww.relc.com/kiev/transpor/buses/tbuse.htm), but at the time of writing this Second Circular, no 'buses were listed as leaving for Crimea.

Frequent 'buses and minibuses ("marshrutkas") operate between Yalta and Katsiveli. Look for service number 36, which departs from Yalta 'bus station. When travelling by 'bus or minibus in Ukraine, it is usual to pay the fare on entry or, sometimes on 'buses, later to a conductor. For a given route, the cost of a ticket is usually the same, regardless of how far you are travelling. Minibuses operating as "marshrutkas" usually have the number and destination written in Cyrillic on the front and sides, often with some indication of the cost of a ticket.

Ferry services exist between Yalta, Sebastopol', Yevpatoria and various destinations including Istanbul. A single 3rd class ticket on the "Heroes of Sebastopol'" between Sebastopol' and Istanbul will cost about US$80. Travel by ferry to Crimea may be useful for some Turkish participants, but is not recommended to others. Anyone wishing to travel to the Congress by boat to Crimea is advised to explore possibilities on the internet.

Travel by car, while possible, is not recommended to people who are not fluent in Ukrainian or Russian. Participants from Ukraine, Russia and Moldova who have a car are advised that there is adequate parking space at Katsiveli, but in the interest of integrating participants, they are encouraged to use the Congress minibuses during excursions.

Post Congress Excursions

Four Post-Congress Excursions will be offered, each starting on 27 September, and finishing on 1 October. All arrangements are still provisional and flexible. To encourage suggestions from potential participants, the e-mail address of each excursion leader has been provided. One excursion will enable participants to enjoy the Sights of Kiev. The other three will be based in Crimea. These will cover different parts of Crimea's south coast: Eastern Crimea, Central Crimea and Western Crimea respectively. Each will involve a mixture of mycology and culture in a broad sense. In Crimea, transport will be by modern minibuses. Those interested in participating in these excursions should mark their Registration Form appropriately. Further information about costs will then be sent by a separate mailing. Please note that a trip to the Caucasus is also being organized. This further excursion is not part of this Congress, but is conveniently timed for Congress participants. For further information about that event, please contact Dr A.Ye. Kovalenko.

Leader: Prof. Irina O. Dudka.

Cost variable. The number of participants and duration of visit are not limited. Accommodation will be in hotels in central Kiev. The programme will be flexible (the aim is to enable participants to enjoy a little time in Kiev before returning home), but a tour of the Institute of Botany and its mycological herbarium will be on offer, while a selection from certain sights is also recommended. These sights include the golden domes of the magnificent Lavra Monastery, St Sofia Cathedral and the newly refurbished St Michael's Cathedral, the Golden Gates of Kiev, the National Botanic Garden, the wonderful Rastrelli architecture of St Andrew's Church and the Maryinsky Palace, the Andreevskyi Spusk flea-market, and the elegant streets of central Kiev including the bizarre House of Nightmares.

Your shortlist of museums and art galleries could include the Ukrainian National Museum of Fine Arts, the Kiev Museum of Russian Art, the Kiev Museum of Western & Oriental Art, the Taras Shevchenko Museum, the Great Patriotic War Museum, the Natural History Museum (with its mammoth bone houses) and, possibly, the Chernobyl museum. Kiev's central metro stations, while not as splendid as those of Moscow, still make a fascinating introduction to Soviet period art.

St Andrew's Church, Kiev

Alupka Palace

Leader: Dr Vasyl P. Heluta.

Estimated cost €400. Numbers of participants will be limited to a maximum of twenty (20). Eastern Crimea is perhaps the most exotic, exciting and fascinating area of the peninsula. While entirely safe, it is also, however, the least adapted to foreign visitors. The visit to Eastern Crimea will therefore be more like an expedition, with simpler accommodation and facilities. Your host, Dr Heluta, is enormously experienced in leading expeditions in Ukraine and, with help from Dr Isikov and Dr Tykhonenko, will ensure that participants are well looked after. While there will be many opportunities to collect fungi and while it will be possible to dry specimens, facilities for microscopic examination may be limited. The rewards in terms of scenery and ecosystems will, however, be enormous. The provisional programme is as follows.

Saturday 27	Travel from Katsiveli to Sudak, visiting Novyi Svit (a wonderful area of rocky coastal and mountain scenery), and Sudak's famous Genoese Fort. Overnight in Sudak.
Sunday 28	Travel to Karadag Nature Reserve (spectacular coastal cliffs edging the core of an ancient volcano), Koktebel' (famous as a gathering place for poets & artists), and Feodosia (with possible visits to the museums of Aivazovsky (the famous painter of seascapes) and the author Alexander Green). Overnight in Feodosia.
Monday 29	Morning trip to Kerch (active mud volcanos, museums of the Great Patriotic War, archaeological sites); afternoon travel to Opuk (a new nature reserve on the south coast of the Kerch peninsula, comprising superb steppe and coastal ecosystems, currently being supported by a UK Darwin Initiative collaborative project led by Dr Minter and Dr Isikov). Overnight in Feodosia.
Tuesday 30	Travel to Kazantyp (another new reserve, on the north coast of the Kerch peninsula); afternoon visit to the Arbats'ka Strelka (Crimea's enormous coastal spit). Overnight in Feodosia.
Wednesday 1	Wednesday 1 Travel to Simferopol for flights and trains.

One of the Kerch mud volcanos

The Khan's Palace at Bakhchisarai

Leader: Dr Tetiana V. Andrianova.

Estimated cost €400. Numbers of participants will be limited to thirty (30). The excursion will be based at Katsiveli, using the same accommodation as for the Congress and will comprise optional day trips radiating from that base: if you would like a day or two relaxing on the beach, then select this excursion. There will be many opportunities for collecting fungi, and no problems with drying specimens. One meeting room at Katsiveli will be converted to serve as a temporary laboratory with basic facilities for examining, identifying and displaying fungi. Dr Andrianova has extensive experience of Crimea, having carried out her PhD work there, and has a particularly good knowledge of this part of the Crimean coast and, in particular, of the areas directly around Mys Martian and Nikita Botanic Garden. The provisional programme is as follows.

Saturday 27	Ascent of Ai Petri mountain by funicular. Exploration of steppe meadows, limestone pavement and woodland to the west of the summit area with a picnic, followed by descent by footpath through superb mixed forest to Alupka.
Sunday 28	A visit to Chatyr Dag (the second highest massif in Crimea) and its enormous caves. For those interested, an optional return as far as Yalta by trolleybus may be possible. This spectacular 80km trip over the mountains is said to be the longest trolleybus ride in the world.
Monday 29	A tour of Livadia Palace (where the famous Yalta Conference was held in 1945), followed by a pleasant walk along the famous "Sunny Path" into Yalta. Time to enjoy Yalta and take lunch in town, then to Nikita Botanic Garden; exploration of Mys Martian Nature Reserve and Nikita Botanic Garden followed, if time permits, by a visit to Massandra Palace and the Magarach winery.
Tuesday 30	A traverse of the Crimean mountains, to visit the famous Crimean Grand Canyon (extensive Central European broadleaf forest) in the morning, going on in the afternoon to see the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai, and the nearby Chufut Kale Cave Town.
Wednesday 1	Travel to Simferopol for flights and trains.

A panorama of Balaclava Bay

Leader: Dr Vera P. Hayova.

Estimated cost €400. Numbers of participants will be limited to thirty (30). This event will be based in Balaclava, using comfortable but simple accommodation at the Chembalo Hotel, and will comprise day trips radiating from that base. There will be some opportunities for collecting fungi, though perhaps fewer than on other Crimean excursions, but no problems with drying specimens. Some basic facilities may be available for microscopic examination of material. Dr Hayova (with Balaclava's local authority, Dr Isikov and Dr Minter) has been developing an environmental plan for Balaclava and its environs. As a result, participants will have a special chance to see some of the environmental issues facing the area. The provisional programme is as follows.

Saturday 27	Travel from Katsiveli to Balaclava, stopping en route for collecting at Mys Sarych (Mediterranean scrub, forest and limestone pavement), with views of Foros (famous for the occasion when Mikhael Gorbachev was imprisoned there during the 1991 putsch), followed by a visit to the small church spectacularly located above Foros. Arrive late afternoon in Balaclava, with time to explore the Genoese Fort and the town's east shore (don't miss the old British cannons used as capstans in the harbour).
Sunday 28	Tour of old Balaclava, including the town's museum; visit to the west shore area to see the until recently top secret cold war submarine pens. Afternoon excursion to Balaclava Battlefield and its memorial for British soldiers, followed by a tour of the famous Panorama of the Crimean war, and a visit to Cape Fiolent and its monastery.
Monday 29	Travel to the Khan's palace at Bakhchisarai, followed by a picnic and collecting at Manhup Kale Cave Town, returning via Inkerman with its ancient cave churches and huge winery.
Tuesday 30	Morning visit to Sebastopol' waterfront, taking in the famous memorial to the sunken ships, views of the Institute for Biology of the Southern Seas, the vista of the forts guarding the harbour entrance, and the striking heroic sculpture dominating the town. Afternoon exploring the huge ancient Greek archaeological site of Chersonese.
Wednesday 1	Travel to Simferopol for flights and trains.

Opportunities for New Contacts

We wish to remind our western European colleagues and friends that Ukraine and other countries of eastern Europe have many mycologists. Holding the Congress in Ukraine will provide these scientists with a very special chance to attend, and to meet and establish contacts and friendships with their western counterparts. Such contacts are normally very difficult because of language problems and a lack of opportunity. This Congress could be the catalyst which breaks through these barriers to establish a new and broader mycological community in Europe in the next millennium.

General Information

The venue of the Congress, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Opening Lecture, lectures, poster sessions and other events, including most social occasions and the Congress Dinner, will be the Summer Retreat of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine at Katsiveli by the shore of the Black Sea. The Retreat is located in a beautiful, peaceful and secure location, surrounded by Mediterranean ecosystems. A good swimming beach is less than 300m from the Retreat.

The language of the Congress will be English. No translation services will be provided for scientific events, and all speakers are expected to deliver their presentations in English. For posters, English is preferred, but not obligatory.

The languages most widely spoken in Ukraine are Ukrainian and Russian: Crimea is largely Russian speaking. English is now much more widely spoken among young people, but familiarity with other Western European languages is much less frequent. The Congress Organizers recognize that Ukrainian and Russian will be difficult for many foreign participants, and every effort will be made to provide appropriate oral translation into English when the need arises during excursions, expeditions and cultural events. Visitors with no knowledge of Slavonic languages are assured that they will be accompanied throughout by people who, in addition to speaking at least one of these languages, are also fluent in English.

This Congress is a very special opportunity to build links between mycologists of eastern and western Europe. As a result, the Congress Organizers will try to ensure that people who are willing to give their time to interpret Ukrainian and Russian for foreign visitors are easily identifiable throughout the scientific and social sessions of the Congress.

The alphabet

While the Latin alphabet is widespread, particularly in advertisements of foreign products, the Cyrillic alphabet is the one used for the native languages of Ukraine. Participants from Western Europe are advised to gain at least a basic familiarity with Cyrillic: information is usually provided in easily available guide books to the country. Newcomers who are experiencing difficulty distinguishing written Ukrainian from Russian should note that the letters "І", "Ї", "і" and "ї" occur in Ukrainian, but not in Russian, whereas the letters "Ы" and "ы" occur in Russian and not Ukrainian.

Each participant is advised to check what visa requirements exist for them to enter Ukraine. Information about visa requirements can be found on the internet (for example http://www.ukremb.com/consular/visareqs.htm) or from the relevant Embassy of Ukraine, and various companies offer services in obtaining visas (for example http://www.ukraine.co.uk). The following information is therefore offered only as a general guide.

Visitors to Ukraine must have a passport valid for at least three months after the end of the anticipated visit. Visas are not required for visitors from the CIS (except Turkmenistan), Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Rumania or countries of the former Yugoslavia (except Croatia and Slovenia).

Visitors who need a visa must have a passport valid for at least six more months when applying for the visa. They should also have documentation demonstrating that they have organized travel from Ukraine. For private visits, nationals of the EU, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Canada, Japan and USA do not need letters of invitation when applying for visas.

If you need an invitation to get a visa, please supply the Organizing Committee with the following information:

	Surname.
	First name.
	Middle name(s) if any.
	Affiliation (e.g. place of work).
	Full address in your own country.
	Passport number.
	Date of birth.
	Date of expiry of passport.

In September, Ukraine is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. In Crimea at sea level, late September weather is usually delightful, with much sun and pleasant daytime temperatures in the range of 21-28°C. Sea water temperature is likely to be around 19-22°C. On the mountain tops it may be cooler and sometimes a little cloudy. Rain is possible at any point, but rather unlikely, though it may be very heavy for short periods. In Kiev temperatures are likely to be lower, perhaps even 15°C, with more cloud and rain, although warm late summer days are also possible.

The currency of Ukraine is the Hryvna, which is composed of 100 Kopeks. There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Hryvna banknotes, and 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 kopek coins. It is permitted to import or export a maximum of US$1000 and 80 Hryvna without special declaration. In practice this means foreign visitors can only obtain Hryvna after entering the country. Currency exchange within Ukraine is, however, very easy in cities and bigger towns: currency exchange booths can be found on most central streets, with the rate of exchange prominently advertised outside the booth. Participants should note, however, that at most exchange booths it is only possible to convert the main currencies. Usually that means Euro, Russian Rubles, US Dollars and, sometimes, Sterling. Changing money on the street is illegal in Ukraine, there is no benefit to be gained by doing so, and it is not recommended.

Torn, marked or old banknotes, particularly foreign banknotes, can be problematic to use. Travellers' cheques are generally much harder to exchange than banknotes. In major towns of Ukraine (including Kiev, Yalta and possibly Simferopol' and Sebastopol', but not including Balaclava, Sudak, Feodosia, Kerch or any of the small Crimean coastal villages) it is sometimes possible to use plastic cards (Visa etc.) in more modern shops, restaurants and, perhaps, filling stations (but beware of fraud). ATMs may also be available. Outside such locations, travellers' cheques and plastic cards are likely to be useless. You are therefore advised to satisfy yourself that the money you carry with you is in a useable form.

Up-to-date currency exchange rates can be found on many internet sites (for example http://www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml). At the time of preparation of this Second Circular (early October 2002), the approximate rates of exchange for European Currencies were as follows:

The electricity supply in Ukraine is 220 volts a/c. Sockets have two circular pins. The distance between pins is the same as for sockets used in western Europe, but the diameter of pins is slightly smaller. This means that western European two-pin plugs do not fit easily (after forcing them into Ukrainian sockets, you may find that efforts to remove them result in removal of half the wall as well), while North American two-pin, and British three-pin plugs do not fit at all. If intending to use personal electrical equipment, therefore, visitors from outside Ukraine are advised to bring an international adaptor.

'Phone lines and e-mail links are still unreliable in Crimea, though conditions are rapidly improving. Outside larger towns the biggest problem is poor external cabling. The Summer Retreat at Katsiveli hopes to be connected by modern cabling before our Congress begins and, if so, on site e-mail will be possible. If not, access will be organized through an (intermittent) internet café in Simeiz, less than 2 km away. If all this fails, make a pleasure of necessity, and enjoy a few days unchained from the modern world!

Maps. The quality and availability of maps in Ukraine has improved enormously in the last few years. Reasonably good maps of the Crimean mountains and south coast at a scale of 1:50,000 are now easily available in various shops and kiosks in and around 'bus and railway stations of Crimea. Western European participants should note, however, that usually all textual information on locally available maps is in the Cyrillic alphabet. Those wishing to use maps, but who are unfamiliar with the Cyrillic alphabet, are advised to obtain maps from their own country prior to departure (a useful supplier of maps is Stanfords of London, http://www.stanfords.co.uk).

Photographic film. Colour print film is easily available in Ukraine, generally of similar quality to that in Western Europe, and less expensive. Processing is often cheaper too. Better to buy after arrival in Ukraine, and to process before leaving, thus perhaps avoiding damage from airport security x-rays.

Clothes & Toiletries. Dress at the Congress will be informal. A waterproof coat and strong boots are recommended for excursions. With a knowledge of Russian, purchase of toiletries is easy. Generous thick towels are still infrequent in Ukrainian hotels. A bath plug (or a squash ball, which works equally well) may be useful.

Reading material. For English language readers, a guide to Ukraine, such as the one to "Russia, Ukraine & Belarus" published by Lonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/ukraine/), is recommended. For the Crimean War, Cecil Woodham Smith's "The Reason Why" is a classic. Those travelling by rail from Kiev to Simferopol', and wishing to absorb the ambience may enjoy the gently amusing children's book "Tiger's Railway" by William Mayne, Colin Thubron's classic "Among the Russians", Eric Newby's "The Big Red Train Ride", or Malcolm Bradbury's funny novel "Rates of Exchange", all perhaps slightly dated, but delightful.

Background information about Ukraine

Ukraine is the biggest country totally within Europe. For many years part of the Soviet Union, it is again independent, with a population of nearly 50 million. The main language is Ukrainian, though Russian is universally understood, and widely spoken, particularly in Crimea. Among younger people use of English is growing very rapidly. Ethnically most citizens are Ukrainian, with Russian, Greek, Jewish, Polish, Rumanian and Tatar minorities. The country has in general a good human rights record, with a long tradition of peaceful co-existence between different ethnic groups. Many people are poorly informed about Ukraine. Often all that is known of this enormous country is the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 which affected only a region in the north adjacent to the Belarus border. Most of Ukraine is rich in traditional peasant-based agriculture. No other European country has so much local food organically grown and free from genetic modification. The thriving peasant culture also means unparalleled wealth in traditional song, dance, music and folk lore, making Ukraine a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Cultural and natural attractions

Apart from Yalta, many other famous places can be reached along the corniche roads which wind through this delightful landscape, none of them more than an hour's drive, many much less. Perhaps the closest is the villa at Foros, which was the centre of world attention when Gorbachev was imprisoned during the great putsch. The Vorontsov Palace at Alupka, with its surrounding park, is also nearby. This is an absolute delight, designed two hundred years ago by an eccentric British architect and rich in literary associations with Pushkin.

To the west is Sebastopol, closed until very recently, being home to the great Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Restrictions have now, however, been lifted, making possible trips to this architecturally interesting city with its magnificent port. The superbly-preserved archaeological site of Chersonese, a city of the ancient Greeks, lies within Sebastopol's boundaries, and like the rest of the city is now accessible to visitors. The same is true for the attractive and unusual port of Balaclava, built by the British and French in the last century: the nuclear submarine pens constructed there during the more recent cold war are easily visible, making an interesting if rather grim additional sight for visitors. A simple white obelisk nearby is the poignant memorial to British soldiers killed during the Crimean war, in the famous "charge of the Light Brigade".

Coastal scenery near Nikita Botanic Garden

Stretching out for some kilometres on either side of Yalta is a unique narrow band of truly mediterranean vegetation, with typical indicator plants such as Arbutus andrachne. This is at its unspoiled best in the Mys Martian Nature Reserve. Nikita, one of the world's great botanic gardens is next door, three kilometres to the east of Yalta. Slightly closer is Magarach, set among vinyards, and famed for its Institute of Wine Making. All these are made possible by Crimea's stunning limestone mountains rising in abrupt and enormous cliffs to the north of Yalta, creating a giant sun-trap and protecting the coast from cold northerly winds.

The lower slopes on the southern side of these mountains are thickly forested with Quercus pubescens, Quercus petraea, several species of Juniperus and the endemic conifer, Pinus pallasiana. The tops, easily accessible by cablecar or a spectacular road, roll on over extensive plateaux of subalpine vegetation. These famous and lovely steppe meadows of the Crimea, rich in endemic flowers, eventually give way to deep valleys of dense hornbeam and beech forest, including Crimea's own "Grand Canyon". North of them lie the strange and now deserted cave towns of the central limestone mountains, the oriental delights of Bakhchisarai and, beyond Simferopol, the treeless steppes of the Tatars, made famous through the music of Borodin's Polovtsian Dances.

Further east, but easily accessible in a day trip, is a region which has never been developed for tourists. Here there are still traditional villages, full of rustic charm. Here too is the spectacular scenery of Novyi Svit, "the New World", with rocky mountains, endemic plants and nearby Genoese castle. Beyond is the extinct volcano of Karadag, "Black Mountain", again with a unique flora and magnificent seaside cliff vistas celebrated by painters and poets. For the adventurous, the mud volcanoes, coral beaches, spits, saltmarshes, brackish lagoons, and the extensive steppelands of the Kerch peninsula can also be accessed.

Mycological attractions

The Crimean peninsula, on Europe's south-east coast, is a beautiful and unspoilt region full of interest as a biodiversity hotspot and as one of the continent's great natural history treasures. The whole region provides rich collecting for mycologists. Many rare and elusive macrofungi can be found. In recent years, for example, Amanita caesarea and Tuber aestivum have both been collected within a few miles of Yalta. The microfungi are also interesting. Although still unpublished, collecting trips in the last few years have uncovered many ascomycetes previously unrecorded for Ukraine, in spite of the fact that this country has been surveyed more thoroughly than many European countries. Some of these indicate the rather special character of Crimea's fungal populations: a tiny enclave of the ascomycete Elytroderma torres-juanii hundreds of kilometres from its next known station in northern Greece, for example, confirms the mediterranean nature of Crimea's south coast. The position for conidial fungi is similarly interesting, while a recent and rather cursory survey of myxomycetes suggested that many unusual discoveries could also be made among these strange organisms.

Map of Crimea

Approximate locations of places mentioned on this website: 1 Ai Petri; 2 Alupka; 3 Arbats'ka Strelka; 4 Bakhchisarai; 5 Balaclava; 6 Cape Fiolent; 7 Chersonese; 8 Chatyr Dag; 9 Chufut Kale; 10 Crimean Grand Canyon; 11 Feodosia; 12 Foros; 13 Inkerman; 14 Karadag; 15 Katsiveli; 16 Kazantyp; 17 Kerch mud volcanos; 18 Koktebel'; 19 Livadia; 20 Magarach & Massandra; 21 Manhup Kale; 22 Mys Martian; 23 Mys Sarych; 24 Nikita; 25 Novyi Svit; 26 Opuk; 27 Sebastopol'; 28 Simeiz; 29 Simferopol'; 30 Sudak; 31 Yalta.

Dates to Remember

31 March 2003. Closing date for receipt of Registration Forms and registration fee without surcharge. After this date there will be a 20% surcharge on the registration fee.
30 April 2003. Closing date for receipt of abstracts.
1 June 2003. Cancellations received before this date will be subject to a 20% surcharge on all monies paid. From this date onward, until 31 August, cancellations will incur a 50% surcharge on all monies paid.
31 August 2003. Last possible date for receipt of Registration Forms and registration fee. Cancellations received after 31 May 2003 and up to this date will be subject to a 50% surcharge on all monies paid. From this date onward, no repayments will be made in the event of cancellation.
21 September 2003. Registration desk opens.
21 September 2003. Congress Registration Desk opens.
22 September 2003. Congress begins.

Organizing Committee

The Organizing Committee is composed of senior mycologists from the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kiev), the D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology & Virology (Kiev), and Nikita Botanic Garden (Yalta), with Prof. Irina Dudka in the chair. This team has a long history of close collaboration, including the organization of a national conference on biodiversity in Ukraine in 1997. As a result, reliable e-mail connexions exist, and the proposed Organizing Committee has a good command of a many European languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavonic languages.

Supporting organizations

Patrons

Dr M. Blackwell (USA), Prof. F.D. Calonge (Spain), Prof. R. Courtecuisse (France), Prof. M. Lawrynowicz (Poland), Dr P. Lizon (Slovakia), Prof. E. Parmasto (Estonia), Dr C. Perini (Italy), Prof. L. Ryvarden (Norway), Academician K.M. Sytnik (Ukraine), Prof. B.N. Yezhov (Ukraine).

Contacts