1. PRIORITIES OF THE BLACK SEA ENVIRONMENT
& NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION
The Black Sea Economic Forum
26-27 November 2010, Yalta, Ukraine
Prof Dr Ahmet E. KIDEYŞ
Executive Director
Permanent Secretariat
Commission on the Protection of the
Black Sea Against Pollution
www.blacksea-commission.org

2. Content
• 1) The Black Sea ecosystem
• 2) Regional Environmental Problems
• 3) Regional Environmental Governance &
Cooperation
• 4) Current “State of Environment”
• 5) Environmental Priorities Revisited

3. 1) The Black Sea ecosystem
Most interesting
The youngest
Noah’s flood?
An extraordinary sea

4. 1) The Black Sea ecosystem :
Bathymetry & Anoxia
(5.5 x105 km3; Zaitsev & Mamaev 1997)
Salinity, (Temperature)
18%o 21-22%o
(5-25oC) (8-9oC)

5. 1) The Black Sea ecosystem:
Comparative Fertility & Fish Landings of
the Black Sea and Mediterranean
Source: SeaWiFS
Mediterranean Black Sea
Area 2.5 0.5
(million km2)
Productivity 385 882
(mgC·m²/day)

6. 2) Regional Environmental Problems:
from Transboundary Diagnostic Analyses 1996, 2007
• Eutrophication
• Overfishing
• Loss or change of biodiversity, including invasive species
• Pollution including oil

7. Eutrophication
Large drainage area and nutrient-rich riverine input in the BS

8. Impact of eutrophication

9. Ref: Zaitsev
Loss of biodiversity

10. Invasive species:
Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Black Sea
in the late 1980s

11. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
Years
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Mnemiopsis
wet
weight
(g/m2)
IMPACT OF AN INVASIVE JELYFISH:
Relationship between the decrease in Turkish anchovy
catch (Ktons) and Mnemiopsis outburst
About 300 K tons of anchovy catch vs 800 million tons of ML
!!
Kideys, Science 2000
More than 1 billion Euro damage to Fisheries economies in the BS

12. Overfishing

13. •Oil Pollution
•The total amount of production is expected to increase approximately
to 211 mta by 2010 with 154 mta actually going through the Black Sea
and Turkish Straits (Oral 2008).

14. 5 ship sunk
8 sailors dead
Volgoneft-139
1.300 tons of heavy fuel
+ 6800 tons technical sulfur
Kerch Oil Spill,
(11th Nov 2007)
180 km of coast line damaged, more than 5000 birds perished

15. Extreme Wave Prior to Kerch Accident,
(11th Nov 2007)
Strong wind upto 35 m/sec

16. Drifter
(click for movie)
Strong currents of the Black Sea
(ref: State of Environment Report 2008)

17. Drifter
(click for movie)
Strong currents of the Black Sea calls for
“regional approach”
(ref: State of Environment Report 2008)
• Sea possess no physical borders!
• Most marine problems are transboundary
and require collective action
• Environment, the easiest area of
cooperation

18. 3) Regional Environmental Governance
& Cooperation

19. Regional governance in the wider
Black Sea area
• Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) and its related bodies (since
25 June 1992):
– primarily to promote economic and trade activities
in the broader Black Sea region
– 6 BS coastal countries plus Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Greece, Serbia and Moldova

20. The Convention on the Protection of
the Black Sea Against Pollution
The first regional environmental agreement signed by all Black
Sea coastal countries (i.e. Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania,
Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine)
23 Feb 1993
1 Oct 1993
10 Nov 1993
16 Nov 1993
29 Mar 1994
14 Apr 1994
•Signed in 21 April 1992, Bucharest, Romania (hence Bucharest Convention)
The Regional Legal Framework solely on marine environment:

21. Protocols to the convention
Pollution related
• Land based sources
• Cooperation in emergency situations
• Dumping
And
• Black Sea Biodiversity and Landscape
Conservation Protocol (not in force yet)

22. •Signed 31 October 1996 (commemorated as the
Black Sea Day)
• adopted by all Black Sea countries
•Updated in April 2009;
The Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation
and Protection of the Black Sea
The Legal Framework:

23. Black Sea Commission (BSC),
Oct 2000
•BSC is the regional governing body of the Bucharest Convention
Premises of the Permanent Secretariat in Istanbul
EC, BSEC, ICPDR have observer status in the Black Sea Commission

24. BSC has been very active during last years
Strategic Action Plan revised
Protocol on Land-Based Sources of Pollution revised
......
Ministerial Meeting, Sofia, 17 Apr 2009

25. • Environmental Safety of Shipping - Starting the Port State Control, Contingency Plan;
Regular drills of communication officers, DELTA exercise in Turkey and Romania, EU-
MONINFO Project
• Fisheries and Other Marine Living Resources - assessment methodologies, Fish list,
Fisheries Indicators, LBD Legal document on fisheries;
• Conservation of Biodiversity – Related Protocol, Development of its Annexes,
Conservation Plan for Marine Mammals, Development of Marine protected areas,
habitat mapping;
• Land-based Sources of Pollution Management – Updating the LBSA Protocol, Hot
spots, Close work with ICPDR for nutrients input.
• Pollution Monitoring and Assessment -BSIMAP, Harmonization, Bathing Water,
Marine Litter. Development of indicators.
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management -Development of ICZM Strategy,
PEGASO Project
BSC: Strategic Action Plan Implementation

26. EC- DG Environment / EMSA / JRC
ICPDR
EEA
BSEC
UNDP / UNEP / GEF
Other sister conventions
Private sector
NGOs etc.
Success is due to increased cooperation

27. Examples of Cooperation (with EC):

28. Cooperation with EC, e.g. MONINFO Project
(Monitoring and Information System for Reducing Oil Pollution)
Ship B
Ship A
Possible Oil Slick Detected
Satellite Acquisition Time UTC
ENVISAT 2010-09-25 07:54:53.983
Satellite scene coordinates
44°36'45"N / 031°48'03"E 43°53'35"N / 036°53'38"E
41°07'24"N / 031°01'21"E 40°24'29"N / 035°50'14"E
Number of detected oil slicks Frame ID
4 20100920006
Comments
N/A

29. Examples of cooperation:
 Oil spill preparedness exercises in Sep
2007, Aug 2009, next in Georgia in 2011

30. Examples of cooperation (with UNDP, WWF, CocaCola):
Black Sea Education Box

31. Examples of cooperation (with ICPDR):
Chemical spill accident in Hungary

32. Examples of cooperation (with Scientific Community):
Biannual Black Sea Conferences
2008 Jointly with
BS-SCENE PROJECT, Sofia
INSTITUTE OF OCEANOLOGY
GEF UNDP - BSERP
BALKAN ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATION
TUDAV
ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY
BRITISH EMBASSY
TURKISH GOVERNMENT
UNDER THE AUSPICES of
Ministry of Environment and Water
Bulgaria Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Next Conference will be in Istanbul during 1-4
Nov 2011

33. Examples of cooperation (with all partners and NGOs):
International Black Sea Day
31 Oct 2010, Trabzon Turkey
 Eight panels on the Black Sea
environment
 Black Sea Medals ceremony
 The "Black Sea Education
Box“
 Black Sea songs concert
 Miscelleanous NGO activities
 Private companies exhibitions
on emergency response
 Poster presentations
 Underwater photography
exhibition
 Etc..

34. 4) Current “State of Environment”

35. Black Sea Integrated Monitoring and
Assessment Programme (BSIMAP)
• Implemented since 2001.
• Build on established national monitoring programmes
• The main purpose of the BSIMAP is to provide data for
the state of the environment (SOE) reporting,
impact assessments of major pollutant sources, and
for transboundary diagnostic analysis (TDA).

36. 4) Current “State of Environment”
Mandatory parameters Frequency
Optional
parameters
Frequency
T° 4 pH (site-specific)
Salinity 4 BOD5 (site-specific)
O2 (saturation and
dissolved) 4 TOC 4
TSS (filter 0.45 µm) 4 H2S 4
Secchi 4
P (PO4) 4
P total 4
N (NH4) 4
N (NO3) 4
N (NO2) 4
N, Total 4
SiO4 4
Problem: Eutrophication. Sampling media: Water
BSIMAP monitoring requirements

37. 4) Current “State of Environment”
2008 – State of the
Environment of the
Black Sea Report
61 scientists have prepared
detail description of all
components of the Black Sea
ecosystem

38. 4) Current “State of Environment” :
No more mass mortalities due to hypoxia

39. Nutrient loads from Danube
phosphate loads
from the Danube
River was halved
compared to the
previous 5 year
period,
thanks to the efforts
of the Danube
countries, the EU,
International
Commission for the
Protection of the
Danube River
(ICPDR), and the
DABLAS Task Force
4) Current “State of Environment”:
Nutrient inputs are decreasing

40. 4) Current “State of Environment”:
Biodiversity increasing
Algal diversity in Zernov’s Phyllophora field
(ref: SoE Report of the Black Sea Commission, 2008).

41. 4) Current “State of Environment”:
Ecosystem efficiency increasing
1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
P
h
ito
p
lan
k
to
n
B
iom
a
ss,
m
g
m
-3
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
S
m
a
ll
P
ela
gic
F
ish
stock
,
k
t
0 I II III IV V VI
Periods: Pristine Eutrophication Crisis Post- End of the 1990s-
Q-factor: 1.45 1.25 0.70 0.45 0.20 0.51 1.00
Phytoplankton Biomass SPF stock:
measured and calculated
Phy top lankton Biomass and Small P elagic Fish Stock
in the Black Sea
crisis beginning of the 2000s
From Prof Shulman, Trabzon 2010

42. Next examples: Climate change, Ballast water management, Oil spill
management
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited

43. Air Temperature
0,60 ± 0,20 oС higher than average
value of the XX century by 2000
0,74 ± 0,18 oС higher by 2005
5
5,5
6
6,5
7
7,5
8
8,5
9
9,5
10
1
9
9
0
1
9
9
2
1
9
9
4
1
9
9
6
1
9
9
8
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
8
2
0
1
0
Temperature
CIL
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
Temperature
UQL
T-CIL
Т-UQL
Линейный (T-
CIL)
Линейный (Т-
Data of Hydrophysics lab SB IORAS (2010)
Sea Temperature
Around 0.5 oС increase in 20 years
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited: Climate Change

44. Exotic (Atlantic-Mediterranean) fishes registered in
the Black Sea during last decade
Micromesistius poutassou
Sarpa salpa
Syngnathus acus
Gobius xanthocephalus
Gobius cruentatus
Parablennius incognitus
Sphyraena pinguis
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited: Climate Change

45. Nodularia spumigena – toxic blue-green algae
(biomas 8 kg*m-3).
Microcystis aeruginosa – blue-green algae
Dneper-Bug liman
Odessa Bay
Nodularia spumigena
Microcystis aeruginosa
Spirulina laxissima
Very high water temperature in summer up to 31 oC in July 2010 in NW BS
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited: Climate Change
+ Ballast waters?

46. Appearence of new alien species
Chrysaora hysoscella 2009
Bolinopsis vitrea 2009
From Prof Alexandrov, Trabzon 2010
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited: Climate Change
+ Ballast waters?

47. SAP2009
Promote ratification of the Ballast Water Management Convention in the Black Sea
Harmonise Ballast Water procedures
Odesa Ballast Meeting, July 2010
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited:
Ballast waters Management

48. Total volume of BW
discharge – 100 mln
t/year
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited:
Ballast waters Management

49. MONINFO Project
(Monitoring and Information System for Reducing Oil Pollution)
START : 01 January 2009
END : 31 December 2011
EU Co-funded, Total Budget: 2.36 Million Euro
Three Work Packages:
• WP1. Information System development
• WP2. Monitoring System development
• WP3. Capacity Building
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited:
Dealing better with Oil spills

50. Correlation with ship’s location (AIS)
data for detecting the polluter
Satellite reception (within 30 min)
Ship B
Ship A
Modeling of currents
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited:
Dealing better with Oil spills
MONINFO project

51. MONINFO SATELLLITE SUMMARY:
Month #
Images
#
Detections
#
Reports
August 7 27 2
September 7 23 4
October 7 9 0
Total 21 59 6
4 BS users – Bulgaria/Georgia/Romania/Turkey
21 Images = 59 Detections + 6 Feedback Reports
0 Anomalies; 0 Cancellations
High: 5
Medium: 21
Low: 33
27%
5%
10%
2%
56%
Spill Location
1
2
3
4
5 N/A: 33
Romania: 1
Georgia: 3
Turkey: 16
Bulgaria: 6
Waiting for Ukraine and Russia to join to this free service...
5) Environmental Priorities Revisited:
Ballast waters Management

52. HELCOM
AIS server
North Sea
AIS server
Mediterranean
AIS server
STIRES server
Black Sea
Server
Northern N.Atlantic server
Groenland
Feroe. Island
Canada
with Oil spills – Regional AIS

53. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENION
•
www.blacksea-commission.org