The Black Sea is one of the most vulnerable regional seas in the world given its limited exchange of water with the open oceans and the large watershed area in continental Europe. The five strongly interlinked priority trans-boundary problems of the Black Sea are: eutrophication, nutrient enrichment, changes in marine living resources, chemical pollution, biodiversity/habitat changes and marine litter.
The development and improvement of a monitoring network and national marine monitoring programs is a management target of high priority in the region. Coordination in policies and legislation among the Black Sea countries is also of common interest to the EUs partners as it influences their own ability to implement EU legislation and policies (the EU Water Framework Directive WFD; and EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive - MSFD).
The overall objective of the project is to help improve protection of the Black Sea environment. Besides further enhanced monitoring by 10 out of 11 descriptors of MSFD this objective will be pursued through further technical assistance focused on marine data collection and local small-scale actions targeted at public awareness raising and education.
The activities are dealing with national marine monitoring systems and tools for environmental data assessment, initial assessment of the Black Sea, development of relevant programmes for harmonized chemical and biological monitoring, national needs assessment for equipment and training, as well as organization of Joint Black Sea Survey (in conjunction with Joint Danube Surveys organized by ICPDR) and further development of web-based Black Sea Water quality database (blackseadb.org ).
The project also has a special component of marine litter (both monitoring as well as practical actions to reduce it) as well as other small-scale actions towards improvement of the state of the Black Sea. The project will continue a large public awareness campaign both about the problems and values of the Black Seas, promoting scientific results of the Black Sea surveys and supporting environmentally friendly choices in everyday life.
The combination of the policy work with the scientific field work and capacity building makes the EMBLAS project very unique. Active involvement of the national partners facilitates use of harmonized methodologies for monitoring and assessment in all three countries. The project brings the expertise also from the other EU Member States that helps to the countries, to become strong partners in international community and strengthen international cooperation in the environmental protection of the Black Sea.
Progress reports
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Type of commitment
NUTRIENTS
- Other (please specify): Nutrients reduction included in a programme of measures designed to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status by 2020
PLASTICS
- Other (please specify): Organization of the Black Sea Clean Beach Day, connected with educational activities and beach clean-up
- Plastics recovery/recycling/reuse:
OTHER POLLUTANTS (please specify)
- Other (please specify): Preparation of the List of Black Sea Specific Priority Pollutants
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
Type of commitment
- Integrated Coastal Management
- Marine Spatial Planning
- Large Marine Ecosystem approach
- Ecosystem-based Adaptation
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
Type of commitment
- Scientific, socioeconomic and interdisciplinary research
- Research capacity development
- Data access and sharing
- Training and professional development
- Scientific cooperation
August/2019
Organization of Joint Black Sea Survey, to collect data on 10 out of 11 MSFD descriptors (including screening of water and biota samples for presence of more than 2000 chemicals (including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants etc.), observations of invasive species, marine mammals, marine floating litter monitoring using DG JRC methodology and their mobile data collection application, metagenomics analyses of water and sediment samples and hypoxia measurements
August/2020
Refined cost-efficient national monitoring programmes, designed in line with the EU legislation (MSFD, WFD) further tested and endorsed in Georgia and Ukraine
November/2019
Initial Assessment of marine waters, determination of Good Environmental Status and establishment of Environmental Targets and Indicators in line with the EU MSFD, based on the results from the Joint Black Sea Surveys 2016 and 2017. The initial Assessment will be the basis for design of the Marine National Strategies and Programme of Measures for sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems
September/2020
Organization of the Black Sea Clean Beach Days 2019-2020 connected with the small-scale projects, educational campaign and beach clean-up activities; beach litter monitoring using mobile application and database system of EEA, involvement of at least 1000 young people (children and students) in voluntary Black Sea coast clean-up, biological monitoring with involvement of public using mobile application
Georgia
Russian Federation
Ukraine
