Terrestrial molluscs are known to be one of the most threatened groups of organisms following vertebrates. More than third part (422) of all known species extinctions are of the terrestrial molluscs (Lydeard et al., 2004; Régnier et al., 2009). But in Ukraine no proper attention was given to conservation of these organisms.

An assessment of the conservation status for all species of the terrestrial molluscs in Ukraine (around 200) and its regions will be carried out on the basis of planned field research together with data collected during previous expeditions and previously studied materials in museum collections, separately by the criteria of IUCN and of Red Book of Ukraine. It will be summarized in a monograph “Conservation of terrestrial molluscs in Ukraine”. The color brochures and a website on the same theme will be produced for the purposes of popularization. For all species that will be considered as threatened, the accounts will be submitted for the next edition of Red Book of Ukraine (2019).

Field work will be focused on the clarification of conservation status of the several deficiently known species in Ukraine, first of all, the ones listed in Annex II of “Habitat Directive” and/or in IUCN Red List, but at the same time not protected in Ukraine. In this regard there will be 3 groups of expeditions:

1. Northern Ukraine (mainly its western part), in search of some minute snails related to the fens, first of all Vertigo geyeri (Annex II of “Habitat Directive”). This species is known in Ukraine only by the two records that were made almost 100 years ago. These 2 locations and some other possible habitats of this species will be checked. Other threatened species are also expected to be studied in the same habitats, first of all Vertigo angustior and Pupilla pratensis.

2. Ukrainian Carpathians, for checking of an only known population of a threatened minute snail Platyla jankowskiana (VU in IUCN Red List) that was studied only in 1926-1933 and was never rechecked.

3. Southern and north-eastern Ukraine, in the steppe grasslands for studying the populations of steppe snails of Helicopsis genus and clarifying their conservation status and taxonomic identity (few Ukrainian species were recently described as new for science). At the same time occasionally some other potentially threatened steppe snails will be studied.