The mass destruction of certain plants with ephemeral flowers collected for selling on as decorative plants has recently become a bigger issue in Ukraine. The Nature Conservation Movement has been occupied with this problem for more than 20 years. Thirty-seven plant species included in the second edition of the national Red Data Book (1996) are exposed to this danger. Eight species are known to be sold far from their natural localities, in Russia, and in the case of Crocus heuffelianus, in Hungary and Slovakia also (Shcherbak, 1996). In 1996, 1404560 specimens of plants listed in the Red Data Book were confiscated by nature conservation inspectors; in 1997, the number is already 2568338. The cost of damage caused by illegal collection of huge quantities of Cyclamen kuznetsovii, Galanthus plicatus, Galanthus nivalis, Galanthus elwesii, Crocus heuffelianus and Leucojum vernum this year is 8,732,350 Ukrainian Hrivna. In the new edition of the Red Data Book, the reasons for change in abundance of individual species, and the measures necessary for their conservation are, unfortunatelly, not overtly placed in priority order, even though this document should determine state strategy for their conservation. It is likely, though that authors of individual entries placed these reasons and measures in a declining order of priorities. In the list of reasons given for a decline in abundance of plants with ephemeral flowers in Ukraine, picking for bouquets comes first, followed by human pressure on localities, collecting of bulbs, then natural features of species and finally recreation. There is, however, no control of picking in the conservation measures currently planned. Preservation of areas of natural diversity is carried out only in reserves or national parks with staff allocated for that purpose. There are about 20 of these locations in the whole of Ukraine, and they do not have the resources to prevent poaching. Plans to including these species in Botanical Gardens and cultivate them will provide no protection to natural populations. Measures like the "control of population condition" are scientific rather than conservational. Re-introduction of species into localities where they previously existed is also ineffective without protection. At present the state strategy for these species is quite chaotic; their destruction is proceeds at a greater pace and public organizations appear to be unable to stop it. Effective state conservation measures must be worked out and introduced, and these must take into account the reasons why numbers of individual species are changing.