Major Objectives

Some major scientific objectives of CoMSBlack are:

1. to provide an assessment of the natural and anthropogenically-induced environmental changes using historical data;
2. to determine past and present fluxes of water, sediment, carbon, nutrients, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other selected materials from rivers, atmosphere, straits, and bottom sediments;
3. to determine the fluxes of carbon, nutrients, organisms, and selected pollutants across the coastal and shelf seas, the shelf break and within the Basin;
4. to understand the fundamental physical and biogeochemical processes governing the transport, transformation and fates of carbon, nutrients, suspended sediments and selected substances;
5. to provide a quantitative understanding of the physical and biogeochemical processes and nutrient fluxes affecting primary productivity;
6. to provide an assessment of man-made and natural influences on the ecosystem structure and function in the water column (phytoplankton and zooplankton) and benthos (selected benthic organisms);
7. to develop multiple and interactive scale models including general circulation, ecosystem, and regional processes that will be applicable to the studies concerned with the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Black sea; and
8. to assess space and time scales of general circulation and mesoscale features and their energetics, and processes leading to the formation, spreading and transformation of CIL.

Program's Evolution and International Endorsement

CoMSBlack was initiated at a meeting in April 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria from an ad hoc committee consisting of scientists from the former USSR, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, United States and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). This meeting was followed by a series of planning meetings in Constantza, Romania (June, 1991) and in Erdemli, Turkey (July 1991) for an international scientific workshop and a major field activity. An international workshop was held in September 30-October 6, 1991 in Varna, Bulgaria (Aubrey, 1991) and the first major field event, called HYDROBLACK '91, in September 2-29, 1991.

The Varna workshop brought together 125 scientists and managers to discuss the health of the Black Sea and the possible causes for the degradation of its environment, and to assess the state of knowledge of the ocean science of the basin. The CoMSBlack was formalized and a research program was prepared by a series of working groups. The proceedings of the workshop will be published in two volumes during the last quarter of 1993 (Aubrey, 1993). The first volume contains both country profiles describing national research in the Black Sea and working group reports outlining a research strategy for the next decade. The second volume contains peer-reviewed interdisciplinary papers presented at the workshop.

During the 17th Session of the Assembly in February, 1993, CoMSBlack was given the support and endorsement of IOC. Presently, workshop proceedings, symposia volumes, and other publications are published through the IOC. In fall, 1992, CoMSBlack was designated a science program of the Commission Internationale pour l'Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Mediterranee (CIESM).

CoMSBlack Field Program

In its rapid evolution since April, 1991 the first major field study of CoMSBlack was the HYDROBLACK '91 cruise carried out from September 2-29, 1991. Nearly 300 stations were occupied, using five research vessels from three different Black Sea coastal states. HYDROBLACK '91 constituted a multi-ship quasi-synoptic study of the Black Sea accomplished for the first time in its ocean science history.

Later cruises have been carried out. CoMSBlack '92a, conducted during July, 1992 by five ships, focused on fish egg and larval surveys, as well as populations of Aurelia and Mnemiopsis throughout the Black Sea. In August, 1992, a two-ship cruise focused on collection of water samples in the study of Chernobyl radiotracers, throughout the Black Sea. In April, 1993, a survey of the spring phytoplankton bloom was held. In July 1993, another cruise is planned to examine ichthyoplankton distribution.

The overall field program of CoMSBlack will be carried over a period of five years. Three different types of coordinated field programs are planned: GENERAL SURVEYS, PROCESS STUDIES and COASTAL SEAS CIRCULATION.

GENERAL SURVEYS: The general circulation surveys will be carried out to establish the overall biogeochemical framework, organism distribution and densities, biodiversity, and thermohaline characteristics, and to identify and understand the dynamics of the major transport processes, such as the permanent, recurrent and transient features of the general circulation, i.e., the rim current, sub-basin scale gyres, mesoscale and sub-mesoscale eddies.

PROCESS STUDIES: After each general survey in the spring, fine-resolution process studies will be carried out in selected sub-regions of the Black Sea to investigate various interdisciplinary and disciplinary topics. For instance, physical process studies will investigate the formation of water masses by convection and/or isopycnal mixing or by generation over the shelf regions. The regions recommended for the process studies with adequate resolution include the Northwestern Shelf region, the centers of cyclonic sub-basin scales gyres, the pre-Bosphorus area, and the persistent anticyclonic flow region in the southeastern Black Sea.

COASTAL SEAS CIRCULATION DYNAMICS AND FLUXES: In this program special attention will be given to the fine resolution field investigations in the Black Sea shelf areas encompassing the northwestern, western, southwestern shelves as well as the southern shelf region extending from the Bosphorus to Sinop peninsula. The major physical processes of interest affecting the distribution of nutrients and productivity are meandering of the rim current, in the form of filaments and other coherent structures; baroclinic-barotropic instability processes; frontal processes including shelf/slope fronts; and dynamics of river plumes.

Modeling

In CoMSBlack the numerical modeling activities presently are not centered at any specific institution. A modeling activity has been established to develop a new generation of community models and methodology. The first meeting of this ecological modeling group will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in March, 1994. The models of interest include:

• developing ecosystem models pertinent to the Black Sea,
• studying long-term climatic changes,
• carrying out the eddy resolving general circulation studies that take into account regional processes such the water mass formation, and
• investigating circulation dynamics of the coastal and shelf seas and their interactions with the open sea, requiring adequate resolution and special techniques for complexities due the combined effects of stratification and rapidly varying topography.

Because of the importance of this modeling component, a separate (but allied) program has developed: NATO Tu-Black Sea, also described in this newsletter. The NATO project has been developed specifically to address this very important goal of providing prognostic models describing the Black Sea ecosystems. Satellite observations form an important part of this modeling effort

Major Activities:

Each of these objectives has enormous scope and involves the participation of a broad range of sectors. The programme Steering Committee incorporates the National Coordinators, donor representatives and representatives of NGO’s (including the business sector). It is clear that a mechanism is needed to share the burden of these programme objectives if the Black Sea Environmental Programme is to lead to a long-term Action Plan. Rather than to expect the coastal countries to contribute to a single centralized future programme, it was decided to instigate a series of Working Parties based upon "Activity Centers", which are national institutions that already have the basic infrastructure and personnel to coordinate specific tasks in the region. Each Government has agreed to host one of these centers.

The Working Parties themselves include at least one expert from each of the Black Sea countries, together with additional expertise where appropriate. These Working Parties, which will normally meet twice per year, are action-oriented; at least one of the activities per year consists of a seminar, training workshop or pilot study.

The Activity Centers and their Working Parties are as follows:

Activity Center 1: Emergency Response. (Varna, Bulgaria)

The center will coordinate the regional and international response to accidents involving the extraction, maritime transport and storage of oil and hazardous chemicals. It will work closely with the International Maritime Organization and will develop and maintain a common register of all accidents of this kind in the Black Sea. It will organize and implement training activities in close cooperation with IMO, WMO, IOC and the private sector.

Activity Center 2: Routine Pollution Monitoring (Istanbul, Turkey)

The center will provide technical support for the implementation of the routine trend monitoring Programmes through the monitoring network. The monitoring Programmes will cover general trend monitoring of water and sediment quality, bathing water quality, wastewater effluent quality and drinking water quality. Support available through the Center will include methodological and training workshops, inter-comparison exercises, and the development of standard reporting forms for data, the provision of calibration standards, reference materials and standard methodologies. The work will be carried out in cooperation with the CEC, WHO, the IOC/UNEP Group of Experts in Methods, Standards and Intercalibration and the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory (Monaco).

Activity Center 3: Special Monitoring Programmes, Biological and Human Health Effects, and Environmental Quality Standards (Odessa, Ukraine).

The center will coordinate practical studies of the biological and human health effects of pollutants (including sub-acute effects, toxicity testing, effluent toxicity tests and effects on human health from exposure to environmental hazards). Such studies can also serve to evaluate the impact of pollutants along gradients from identified or suspected sources. The center will also assist with the coordination of special monitoring Programmes in order to analyze more complex problems. Results of these studies will be used to provide practical information (which is not available from routine monitoring) for the working party to propose specific control measures such as the harmonization of environmental and health-related quality standards.

The information will also lead to the development and introduction of environmental standards. Advice for this work will be sought from the IOC/UNEP/IMO Group of Experts on the Effects of Pollution, from WHOM and from the OECD, where applicable. The activity will be carried out in cooperation with similar ones organized for the Black Sea (e.g. COMSBLACK, EROS-2000) and as part of ongoing and proposed regional river basin management Programmes.

Activity Center 4: Protection of Biodiversity (Batumi, Georgia)

The center will provide coordination and technical support for actions taken to protect biodiversity in the Black Sea according to the provisions of the Odessa Declaration and the Biodiversity Convention. It will gather historical records of changes in biodiversity (a large amount of information is available for the Black Sea). It will assist national focal points to formulate national biodiversity reviews, which will subsequently be used for the compilation of a regional biodiversity review. Technical expertise and financial support for this work will also be sought from international NGO’s, including IUCN, WWF, IWRB, Bird Life International, etc.

Activity Center 5: Development of Common Methodologies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (Krasnodar, Russian Federation).

The center will facilitate the exchange of information and experience on ensuring sustainable resource use, including recreational use by tourists in the coastal zones of Black Sea countries, and develop methodologies for coastal zone management, with particular reference to threats to the environment arising from the transition to market economies. This center will work in very close cooperation with the World Bank and UNEP and will seek cooperation with the OECD and any other appropriate international institutions.

Activity Center 6: Fisheries (Constantza, Romania).

The center will create a mechanism for gathering data on fisheries capture, stock, installed capacity and aquaculture projects. The data will be gathered from all national authorities and should include historical records in order to document past changes in the production and stock in the region. It will provide the basic source of information for future management strategies and for the implementation of the future Fisheries Convention. The center will seek technical advice and assessment from the FAO-GFCM where appropriate.

Working Parties organized by the PCU

The PCU is directly responsible for the organization of three Working Parties:

The Working Party on Data Management and GIS.

This was established in order to ensure a region-wide compatibility in the generation and management of databases and to promote data exchange. The working party will pay particular attention to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a means to communicate data to environmental managers, decision-makers and the general public.

The Advisory Panel on the Harmonization of Environmental Quality Criteria, Standards, Legislation and Enforcement.

This will be organized in response to the provisions of the Ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea and will consist of a series of workshops, seminars, and studies on individual topics within the terms of reference of the panel.

The Environmental Economics Study Group.

This group is being organized in order to ensure close linkage between economic and environmental policies and decision-making and to help ensure the sustainability of both. It will coordinate a programme of study aimed firstly at assessing the value of environmental damages associated with the degradation of the Black Sea and, secondly at designing economic policy instruments to internalize environmental externalities and thereby reduce pollution.

Major Achievements:

• Black Sea technical networks were established in the following thematic areas: emergency response, pollution monitoring, biodiversity, integrated coastal zone management, fisheries and corresponding activity institutions which were strengthened to become regional centers of competence in their respective area.

• Reference laboratories were fully equipped with modern and up-to-date instrumentation; and pilot and routine pollution monitoring activities were carried out.

• Formal and on-the-job training to some 500 experts was provided: the use and installation of equipment, the identification of issues and the development of appropriate strategies to address them, assessment methodologies, and the management of assistance projects.

• Data management and information tools were developed, public awareness materials produced and disseminated.

• A network for exchange of experience and integration, and the streamlining of efforts among Black Sea non governmental organizations was established.

• A total of 88 national and regional thematic assessments were produced, which fueled into the preparation of the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan.

• A technical Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis was prepared as the groundwork for the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan.

• A Black Sea Strategic Action Plan was developed and signed by the ministers of the environment of the six Black Sea countries

• A portfolio of urgent priority investments was identified and six selected pre-feasibility studies were implemented.

• Innovative financial mechanisms to sustain environmental management of the Black Sea were developed.

In addition, the Programme facilitated the following results:

• Increased and coordinated donor support to the region. The Programme demonstrated how to generate donor contribution to enhance the value of GEF investment.

• Enhanced regional and national cooperation among the Black Sea countries and among the different sectors of the countries.

• Establishment of a strong and integrated management of the Programme with an effective Programme Steering Committee channeling the inputs of the countries, the donor communities and GEF partners.

• Involvement, on a regional basis, of UNDP Country 0ffices in the implementation of components of the Programme, and cooperation with GEF-NGO Small Grants Programme and UNDP Country Offices for support to the countries in the area of environmental management.

• Coordination of the specialized inputs of the UN agencies, the World Bank, the private sector, research institutes and NGOs into the implementation of activities.

Black Sea Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis

The first step in creating the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan (BS-SAP) was the completion of a systematic scientific analysis of the root causes of environmental degradation in the Black Sea. Which ones cause actual degradation? What sectoral activities cause the degradation and how serious is it? What is the information gaps, policy distortions, institutional deficiencies? Information on stockholders and public involvement is also essential so that economic and social aspects can be included.

The analysis of root causes, termed a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) was completed in June 1996. The document was prepared by a group of sixteen leading specialists, drawn from fourteen countries including all six Black Sea countries, together with the five PCU specialist staff. Together they analyzed the thematic reports based upon the work of over 100 Black Sea specialists cooperating through the BSEP network. The results of this work were condensed into the series of analytical tables and employed as a basis for the preparation of the BS-SAP itself.

The TDA itself is not a political document. It is the result of over two years of careful systematic study by the scientists cooperating within the BSEP network. It includes the results of BSEP pilot surveys of pollution, inventories of land-based sources of pollution, studies of fisheries and Black Sea biodiversity and habitats, studies of socio-economic activities coastal-zone management, economies, environmental law and the emerging role of public participation. Furthermore, it examines the costs of the actions proposed and the most appropriate time scale for completing them.

Treating these issues from a rational scientific perspective has resulted in the quashing of many "Black Sea myths". The Black Sea is not a "deadly soup of toxic waste" nor are its coastal ecosystems "beyond hope". Economies can be restored through the promotion of activities such as sustainable tourism and certain forms of aquaculture. Furthermore, the cost of this work is not measured in "billions of dollars". Of course, investments and policy changes will be needed, but the economic benefits of action will clearly overweigh the financial costs.

The TDA breaks down the issues into components, which can be addressed by individual governments leasing closely together. It demonstrates that the Black Sea is not in a hopeless state of disrepair. Hopefully, it will represent a turning point for this degraded environment.

The TDA and its supplement "Black Sea Pollution Hot Spots" identified and analyzed perceived transboundary problems, their root causes and the areas where action is proposed.

The TDA constitutes an integral part of the BS-SAP, adopted by the ministers of the Black Sea countries (Oct. 1996).

The information contained in TDA shows clearly that the major problems are:

• ecosystem degradation as a result of eutrophication and the over-exploitation of marine and coastal natural resources as well as poor coastal management;
• inadequate sewage collector systems and sewage treatment facilities;
• industrial hot spots; and
• lack of port reception facilities.

Although preliminary estimates of the costs of such actions are given in the TDA, a proper pre-investment study of each of the major hot spots should be done as soon as possible. It is planned that the results of such study be presented as an Investment Portfolio to the Donors Conference in November 1997.

It is expected, in the long run, that all participating countries will finance pollution prevention and control activities through financial and fiscal instruments like user fees and penalties. In order to finance the most urgent actions, loans or grants would also be required to stop the present downward trend of the environmental quality.

Black Sea Strategic Action Plan

The completion of the TDA enabled the successful drafting of the BS-SAP. The BS-SAP is a truly innovative document, in which the governments of the Black Sea countries, together with the wider international community, commit themselves to a pragmatic programme of actions based upon common objectives and milestones for restoring and protecting the Black Sea.

The sustainable development of the Black Sea will require continued, even enhanced, international cooperation. The BS-SAP adopted by the six coastal countries on 31 October 1996, together with the Bucharest Convention forms a comprehensive framework for sustainable regional management. However, success will depend on thorough implementation of the actions and commitments contained in these agreements. Governments will have to give priority to implementing and enforcing existing laws and policies, and urgent investments will be required. Black Sea coastal and basin countries will need to reaffirm their joint commitment to reducing pollution and over-exploitation of the Sea's biological and aesthetic resources.

The international community will have to contribute effectively and in a coordinated manner. Perhaps most of all, local communities will need to see for themselves how their efforts can contribute to a better future. Their sense of pride and ownership will have to be restored. Only in this way will the Black Sea be able to serve as the keystone of the sustainable development of the surrounding coastal economies. Sharing responsibility is more difficult than exchanging blame. Yet with a concerted effort, the beauty and richness of the Black Sea can be enjoyed by present and future generations alike.

Project methodology

The methodological approach involved and integrated the following tasks: critical review of existing data, fieldwork and numerical modeling.

Two field cruises were conducted aboard on the Ukrainian RV <Professor Vodyanitsky> in the Ukrainian, Romanian and Bulgarian exclusive economic zones. The first leg of 17th July-1st August 1995 jointly led by C. Lancelot (Belgium) and V. Egorov (Ukraine) was devoted to the study of the ecological functioning of the pelagic realm under summer conditions. Particular attention was given to investigate the degradation of microbial organic matter and its controlling mechanisms including the availability of redox species; the food chain structure and functioning on special emphasis on key gelatinous organisms like jellyfish Aurelia aurita and the combjelly Mnemiopsis; production of biogases and their emission into the atmosphere. It was the first time that phytoplankton nutrient dynamics and the feeding behavior of all zooplankton functional groups -protozooplankton, copepods, gelatinous organisms- were fully addressed.

The second leg, led by N. Panin (Romania) and V. Egorov (Ukraine), took place in the period between 4 and 28 August 1995 and was focusing on benthic communities on sedimentation and processes at the sediment-water interface. For the first time a benthic lander was successfully used on this continental shelf and during one year a sediment trap was collecting at monthly intervals sediments in the water column.

A total of 77 stations were sampled in the northwestern shelf area, including reference deep stations in the anoxic basin as well as a longitudinal profile with a rubber boat in the Sulina Branch of the Danube delta. Furthermore, methane seeps were acoustically localized.

Main results

1. Nutrient changes and the structure and functioning of the northwestern Black Sea ecosystem since 1960: analysis of existing data

Current knowledge

During less than 30 years the Black sea ecosystem has been evolving from a highly biodiverse ecosystem characterized by a high biological productivity at all trophic levels to a low biodiversity ecosystem dominated by a gelatinous food-chain. Beside the explosive development of opportunistic autotrophic and mixotrophic phytoplankters, the current food chain is dominated at higher levels by different gelatinous organisms. Among these, the giant omnivorous dinoflagellate Nocfiluca and the jellyfish Aurelia aurita and the combjelly Mnemiopsis leydil. The latter Ctenophora, feeding voraciously on zooplankton, fish eggs and larvac constitute, at high food resources, efficient competitors of planktonic fishes and were claimed as responsible for the decrease of fish catches during the late eighties.

Analysis of ecosystem changes

An analysis of recorded data since 1960 on changes in the structure and functioning of the Black sea ecosystem [source: published data by the Romanian Marine Institute at Constanta (Romania) and the Schirshov Institute of Oceanology at Moscow (Russia)] in relation with contaminant changes in nutrient delivery by the Danube river source [source: Tolmazin, 1985 and the Romanian Marine Institute at Constanta] concluded that man-induced changes in the river watershed (land-use, agricultural fertilizers, detergents, hydraulic managements) conducted since the sixties were the driving force of the observed dramatic changes of the Black Sea ecosystem.

2. Ecosystem dynamics in summer 1995

The EROS cruise took place in summer, when a strong thermal stratification should have been established with an expected oxygen depletion, sulfate-reduction and methanogenesis in the bottom waters and the superficial sediments of key areas of the northwestern Black Sea. Physico-chemical and biological observations recorded during the two leg supported previous conclusions but revealed also some unexpected results:

• As expected, nutrient concentrations were the highest in the vicinity of the vicinity of the Danube mouth and were assimilated by phytoplankton in the close vicinity of the river mouth, between salinity 8-12 psu. Unexpected in eutrophicated areas, the inorganic nutrient environment showed during this summer period an excess of silicate as compared to phosphate and nitrogen (mostly nitrate).

• As expected, bacterial biomass and activity were extremely high at the whole investigated area. Bacterial organic carbon demand was always significantly higher than autogenic gross primary production indicating that summer bacterial activity couldn't have been sustained by dissolved organic matter originating solely from phytoplankton exsudation or autolysis. The necessary dissolved organic matter could have been produced either by a former phytoplankton bloom and/or by mortality of freshwater microorganisms when mixed with salt waters and/or by continental dissolved organic matter discharged by the river Danube, Dniepr and Dniestr. Unexpectedly, dissolved organic carbon concentration while elevated (-300uM) was constant in the whole area and didn't show any apparent utilization.

• Protozoa were present at high numbers in the whole-investigated area. However their feeding activities were not controlling the development of their preys, i.e. nanophytoplankton on bacteria.

• As expected in summer, mixotropons were recorded in the investigated area. However their presence was strongly localized, coinciding with high bacterial concentrations and depleted inorganic nutrient levels.
• As expected, gelatinous organism -Noctiluca, Mnemiopsis leidyi, Aurelia aurita- was blooming during this summer period.

• As expected, benthic mineralisation were highest in the front of major rivers (Dniepr, Dniestr, Danube) but in the starvation zone as well.

3. Numerical development

The integrated approach to the eutrophication problem of the northwestern Black Sea involves the hierarchical development of biogeochemical models of the river and marine system and their of- or on-line coupling. Numerical work performed in the scope of the EROS-2000 pilot phase involved the parallel development of a suite of models of different levels of spatial and trophic resolution.

The Danube River model

The RIVERSTRAHLER model (Billen et al., 1994; Garnier et al., 1995) describing biochemical transformations in the river system as functions hydrometeorological conditions and point and non-point sources nutrients has been implemented in the Danube river system. A total of 12 sub-basins and 3 main branches have been chosen for describing the Danube network from the source to the delta.

Ecological model of the northwestern Black Sea

The ultimate objective is to develop a high resolution (spatial and trophic) coupled physical-biogeochemical model of the northwestern Black Sea ecosystem, describing the ecological functioning and associated biogeochemical transformations in the pelagic and benthic realm, as forced by the meteorological conditions and nutrient inputs by the Danube river.
A high-resolution hydrodynamic model of the Romanian Ukrainian shelf embedded in the Black Sea GCM model of GHER-DGM is being implemented for coupling with the biological module.

The numerical code of a 0D mechanistic biogeochemical model -BIOGEN- describing the present-day functioning of the NW Black Sea shelf ecosystem and its evolution over the past decades has been developed.
The dynamic numerical model for early diagenetic process of Soetaert et al., 1995 has been implemented for describing organic matter degradation and nutrient transformations in the bents system of the northwestern Black Sea.

The Black Sea General Circulation Model

The Black Sea general circulation model has been further developed in close collaboration with DMG-Sofia University (Bulgaria).
The present version has a 15-km. horizontal resolution and 25 vertical levels. It has been applied to investigate the seasonal variability of hydrodynamic and hydrological fields in response to forcing by (I) the climatological monthly mean fields of surface temperature, salinity and wind stroses, and (ii) the corresponding river discharges and water exchanges at the straits.

The purpose of the project is the improvement of the health of the Black Sea through utilization of ecosystem models as a management tool, through capacity building, and by fostering an interactive scientific community for the Black Sea.

The three highly coupled major objectives of the project involve modeling, capacity building and a data base management system. A subproject is associated with each of these objectives.

The first objective encompasses the development and application of interdisciplinary ecosystem models of the dynamics of the lower trophic levels of the biological community as affected by physical processes, changes in anthropogenic forcing and natural variability.

The task of capacity building is achieved:

1. by cross training in methodology and in high quality measurements (i.e., intercalibration, intercomparison and modeling workshops, exercises and seminars);

2. by providing unified, high tech scientific equipment;

3. through intensive - extensive observations;

4. by developing satellite image receiving and processing capabilities;

5. by supporting collaborative analysis and synthesis of past and recent data leading to joint publications; and

6. by developing a communication network.

The third objective of the project is associated with a Data Base Management System (DBMS). It is intended to include environmental and oceanographic data pertinent to the goals of this program and is expected to serve as a base line for future research activities and management purposes. The DBMS will be distributed to all the participants.

DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DBMS)

The attention has been focused upon the last thirty years of data. Data of interest have been defined and data formats have been decided upon. Development of the Computerized Data Base Inventory (CDBI) is completed and its second version is being distributed in September 1996 (i.e., this meeting) to the Cooperation Partner (CP) Institutes and International Organizations in hard copy and on diskette. New versions of the CDBI information files will be distributed bimonthly to the CP Institutes. A description of the Inventory was provided in the presentation of Dr. Vladimirov (see below).

As of September, 1996 the (DBMS) contains 9,656 files (109 MB) in TU-BLACK SEA format. The total volume of data provided is 125 MB. The first draft version of the Data Base Management System has been finalized with a data volume of 125 MB. This amount of data volume involves 203 data sets (9960 stations) provided from 356 data sets (13,265 stations) listed in CBDI.

The quality control of the data that have been transferred to the DBMS by five working groups have commenced. The bulk of the work is expected to be completed by the end of December, 1996. Special software for the quality control of physical and chemical data has been designed and tested.

A Data Base Executive Committee is formed for the operational issues related to the DBMS.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Multi-ship / basin-wide surveys have been carried out [i.e., May 1994, March-April 1995; April 1996 and July 1996] to investigate the distribution of primary productivity as affected by physical processes. The data collected during the cruises were intercompared and pooled in October 1994, October 1995 and December 1995, respectively.

A satellite image receiving and processing system for wide use was put into operation at Erdemli. Four advanced technologies CTD probes with PCs and four Rosette samplers and plankton nets have been procured and delivered. Shipborne training for the CTD-Rosette system was carried out. The procurement of AutoAnalyzers has been initiated. A satellite navigation system was procured for the Romanian Marine Research Institute. Pentium computers for data entries and work stations for communications and data transfers have been acquired and delivered.

A manual for chemical methods and a report on the unification of methods for oxygen and hydrogen sulfide have been prepared and distributed to the cooperating Institutes. Criteria for unified sampling of the biological variables are established.

A series of seminars related to the Project have been held. Through a series of meetings, the marine biologists and chemists participating in the Project examined the historical data relevant to the Project to expedite the data exchange and work towards joint scientific publications in western journals. Three Romanian scientists were introduced to the HRPT system in Erdemli.

A training course on modeling of dynamics of the marine ecosystem took place in Erdemli for the period 6-14 June, 1996. 20 young CP scientists and others not familiar with the modeling of the pelagic ocean ecosystems attended the workshop. Profs gave a series of lectures. A. Robinson (Harvard), H. Ducklow (VIMS) and J. Murray (U. Washington). The lectures were supplemented by PC interactive tutorials by Profs. T. Oguz (METU) and E. Ozsoy (METU).

MODELLING

The modeling efforts of the Project constitute research at the frontiers of ocean science. A course of action for developing defensible, tested ecosystem models consistent with the objectives of the Project was developed at a workshop [March 1995, Sofia]. In accordance with the strategy adopted in this workshop, the modeling activities have been running on four highly coupled parallel tracks involving:

• Princeton Ocean general circulation Model (POM) with Fasham Ducklow biochemistry and through MIT / VIMS / IMS METU / SIO collaboration;

• Harvard Ocean Prediction Systems (HOPS); HARVARD / IMS METU collaboration;

• Diagnostic Models; INM - RAS / MIT / IMS METU collaboration; and

• Fasham - Ducklow Zero - D Mixed Layer Model (MLM); collaboration of all the partners.

As a result of these parallel-running activities, A MLM involving phytoplankton (P), zooplankton (Z), nitrate (N), ammonium (<N>), detritus (D), bacteria (B) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is developed for the cyclonic and anticyclonic regions of the Black Sea.

A depth dependent five compartment [P, Z, N, <N>, D] model for the central Black Sea has also been developed and extended later to include B and DIN. The model is coupled to the physics via turbulent diffusion and vertical velocity. The results obtained through these two models are found to be in harmony with the observations.

Two eddy resolving, primitive equation general circulation models [: the Princeton Ocean Model (in collaboration with MIT) and the Modular Ocean Model] are adopted with refinements as precursors of the interdisciplinary ecosystem models. The sensitivity of the circulation to wind stress, thermohaline fluxes and the buoyancy fluxes from rivers and the Bosphorus has been tested for both models.

The results obtained are in conformity with the observations on the circulation features. Test runs of the three-dimensional interdisciplinary models have yielded reasonable results. Modeling of the pelagic ecosystem as affected by the biochemical cycles of the suboxic layer below, has commenced. Significant collaboration with the SIO - Moscow on the scientific problems associated with the suboxic layer has been on going.

Progress on the modeling of physical processes was reviewed in Erdemli (January, 1996).

PUBLICATIONS

Up to September 1996, 15 papers have been published in the refereed journals and 34 papers have been presented in various conferences.

The TU-BLACK SEA Project has been interactively cooperating with the various programs concerned with the Black Sea environment. The linkages have been established with The Black Sea Environmental Program of the Global Environmental Facility (UNEP, UNDP, WB), Global Ocean Ecosystems Program, EROS 2000 (EU), CoMSBlack (IOC), IOC Black Sea Regional Program, and the National Science Foundation (USA).

The NATO TU-WAVES Project is a major effort for understanding the wind and wave climate affecting the whole Black Sea basin and the other Turkish coasts. A wave gauging network consisting of six wave directional buoys and four nondirectional wave gages are installed for this purpose.
Scientific research has been carried out to enhance the state of art about wind and wave modeling along the Black Sea and the other Turkish coasts. The most important final product of this project will be the wind and wave atlas of the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Turkish coast of other seas.

Main Objectives

For the whole Black Sea and along the Turkish coasts of other seas, the following major objectives were set:

• To obtain better knowledge on wind waves, and to generate a reliable wind wave data bank by operating a network of wave measurements and a system of wave analysis in real time;

• To achieve an advanced and reliable wind-wave model, and to make it operational for routine wave forecast; and

• To prepare a wave atlas (detailed statistical data on wind and wave climate).

Project Structure

The project consists of national and outreach components. The national component is aimed towards fulfilling the project objectives for the Turkish Coasts with the collaboration of three national organizations. The outreach (international) component is aimed towards fulfilling the project objectives for the whole Black Sea basin with the collaboration of eight institutes from the Black Sea riparian countries.

The national component has been divided into four different subprojects as follows:

• Sub-project A: Wave Measurements, Analysis and Reporting;

• Sub-project B: Wave Modeling;

• Sub-project C: Wave Atlas for the Turkish Coast; and

• Sub-project D: Networking.

However, the following three task groups have been formed within the framework of the outreach component.

• Task Group 1: Standardization and Software;

• Task Group 2: Wind and Wave Climate; and

• Task Group 3: Wind and Wave Modeling.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Wave Measurements and Analysis

To achieve the objectives of TU-WAVES Project, a national wave gaging network of six stations (at Alanya, Dalaman, Bozcaada, Tekirdag, Sinop and Hopa), was set up with an additional four Black Sea stations in the outreach Black Sea riparian countries (Gelendzhik, Katziveli, Ukrainian Oil Rigs and Vama). The gaging stations were selected in such a way that each station geographically represents a regime of wave characteristics.

The national wave-gaging network consists of five directional wave buoys and one non-directional wave gage (at Tekirdag). The Black-Sea wave gaging stations consist of one directional wave buoy (at Gelendzhik) and three nondirectional wave gages in addition to two gaging stations at the Turkish Black Sea coast, which are part of the national gaging network as well. One more nondirectional wave gage is planned to be installed at Romania to complete an array of three wave gages along the dominant wind directions (NE-SW). This will be invaluable for scientific studies of wind wave development in a relatively shallow basin.

The wave buoy transmits (using wireless communication) the raw and processed data to a nearby shore station equipped with a receiver, a PC (computer), a back-up unit, a modem and a telephone line. In the situation of the non-directional wave measurement stations, data transfer is carried out using a cable. For all stations, a PC receives the data from the receiver (or from the wave gage) and stores them in its hard disk.

The PC then transmits the processed data to the project center at METUKLARE (Ankara) every two hours (almost in real time) through the modem and telephone line. Both raw and processed data are backed up, on site, at regular duration’s (about three months). The whole data set is stored on magnetic tapes, and brought to the project center few times a year. The data is archived in the form of a wave data bank at METU-KLARE.

Telecommunication among the Black Sea riparian countries is not sufficient for a real or nearly real time transmission of data. However, the data can be transmitted through the INTERNET network (depending on its availability). In any case, the data measured at the other Black Sea stations by the collaborating institutes also will be received and archived at METU-KLARE.

Data have been analyzed and reported annually. Further extensive statistical analysis has also been carried out to study the short-term characteristics of the waves affecting the Turkish and the Black Sea coasts. Data are available to the collaborating national organizations for their daily use. At a later stage, the same information will be available for the TV companies for announcement in their news bulletins or tele-text displays.

Finally the data will be accessible through the INTERNET so that the outreach institutes can retrieve them as they need. Transmission of the measured data for the meteorological Global Tele-communications System (GTS) is under investigation. If this is realized, it will help various meteorological organizations to enhance their wave (and weather) forecasts by assimilating the measured data in their models.

2. Wave Modeling

A wave atlas, which is the ultimate goal of the NATO TU-WAVES Project, will be an invaluable tool for coastal and marine planning, management, and operations along the Turkish coast, as well as the entire Black Sea. Wave climatology and wave atlas computations require wave data, which cover the whole sea area for a relatively lengthy period of time (e.g., few decades for the extreme statistics).

Therefore, wave measurements alone are not enough for constructing the wave climatology or the wave atlas due to their limited spacial (i.e., a few locations only) and temporal (i.e., a few years only) coverage. Wave modeling solves this problem. Two advanced wave models have been utilized for this purpose: METU3 and WAM. METU3 is a third generation wind-wave model developed at METU. On the other hand, WAM is a well-known third generation wave model used for operational forecasts at several meteorological centers.

It is rather well known that the third generation wave models are satisfactorily reliable for many practical applications. Therefore, for reliable wave prediction, it is essential to have reliable input wind fields. Obtaining these fields may be the most problematic task of wind-wave prediction, especially for an extended period of time. This type of data is presently obtained from the meteorological models operated by some meteorological organizations like the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) and the U.K. Meteorological Office (UKMO).

Within the framework of the project, a survey for the available wind sources for the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and the Black Seas was conducted. The following wind sources were examined to determine their availability, applicability for wave prediction and the reliability of their results:

• ECMWF analysis wind fields;
• UKMO assimilated winds;
• Use of 3-D wind models;
• Use of simple wind models and synoptic maps; and
• Other sources of wind data (e.g. ship observations).

Using wind fields from the sources mentioned above carried out trial wave model runs. The predicted wave characteristics were compared with the measured values to assess the relative quality of the wind sources. This strategy was selected due to the fact that there is no reliable wind measurements available over the area of interest to verify each source.

METU3 and WAM have been extensively used for wave prediction in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The results have been compared with wave measurements at the NATO TU-WAVES stations. The ECMWF analysis and the EC forecast wind fields together with the forecast fields of a local area model, called Et model, which is being run on experimental basis at the Mediterranean Research Center of the World Laboratory at Erice (Sicily, Italy), have been utilized for wave prediction in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The use of ECMWF forecasts and Eta model were ruled out due to the poor quality of their predictions. In general, the predictions of both models (METU3 and WAM) are very close and can be considered to have good agreement with the corresponding measurements.

With regard to evaluating the wind sources, an exercise was carried out to verify the use of the synoptic maps together with the simple gradient wind models to produce the needed wind fields in the Black Sea. Two sources of synoptic maps and two wind models were used for this exercise. The WAM Model was used for the wave computations. The results of this exercise showed that the synoptic maps together with a simple gradient-wind model can be used to calculate wind and wind-wave fields to a relatively good reliability if the digitization process is carried out by an expert.

As an initial step towards the preparation of the wave atlas, all the significant storms affected all the coastal regions under consideration during the last 26 years (1970-1995) have been identified using the well-documented hourly wind speed measurements. The results of this work ware published in a special report. The synoptic maps for the extreme storms are being recruited from SMS for digitization and wind-field determination.

The Black Sea basin was introduced into the operational wave forecasting system of ECMWF, which implements the WAM Model, by the staff of TU-WAVES Project. The new set-up of this operational system is ready at ECMWF to be started at anytime.

3. Coordination and Transfer of Knowledge

For the purpose of the coordination of the work carried out within the TU-WAVES Project, especially the outreach component, a series of semi-annual workshop has been organized. The main objectives of each of these workshops are:

• To discuss the state of art in the field of wind waves (measurements, analysis, statistics, modeling...... etc.) with special emphasis on the wind and wave climatology of the Black Sea;

• To discuss the accomplishments and problems (and their possible solutions) during the last term (six months) of the NATO TU-WAVES Project; and

• To plan for the near future (next two terms) activities of the Black Sea Component of the NATO TU-WAVES Project (TU-WAVES/ Black Sea).

Five events have been organized so far.

• Continuous contacts with the national collaborating organizations are carried out to discuss the achievements, the problems and the possible solutions within the framework of the national component of the project. Several small-scale training courses on matters related to the use of the wave models, the analysis of the data, ... etc. is organized for the personnel of the national organizations. Furthermore, PC's equipped with modem cards were installed at the national collaborating organizations in order to establish the national network for data transfer.

• Several missions for training and participation at conferences were realized. The Project was introduced to the national and international scientific community at various scientific and technical events either through formal papers or through formal or informal presentations. Two issues of the "TU-WAVES Newsletter" were published and distributed.

• Three M.Sc. theses covering various aspects of the project were completed. Another four new theses have been started. One Ph.D. thesis is in progress.

Significant progress has been achieved during the first 32 months of the NATO TU-WAVES Project, which is a major collaborative effort at an international scale for establishing wave climate over the Black Sea basin and along the remaining part of the Turkish coast. The first goal of the project, that is the systematic measuring and archiving of the wind waves, has been achieved. The main ongoing efforts are directed towards generating the most reliable wind fields for all storms of the last 10 years and for the extreme storms of the last 26 years.

For wave climate computations, ECMWF analysis wind fields has been used for the last five years (i.e., since 1991). LTKMO LAM assimilated wind fields were used with caution for the period 1986-1991. Before 1986, the only possibility seems to be the use of the synoptic maps. Preliminary results showed that this is a relatively reliable source providing that the digitization task is carried out or reviewed by an expert. Extensive wave hindcasting by using WAM and MIETU3 models will now follow. The wave atlas, for the whole of the Black Sea basin and the Turkish coast will be prepared both as a publication and a computer data base by the end of 1998 when the five-year long NATO TU-WAVES Project is completed.

The main contributors to this programme were the European Commission (PHARE and TACIS Programmes) and the GEF. The first GEF contribution of US$8,5 million for the project "Environmental Management in the Danube River Basin" came to an end in June 1996. The objectives of this project were:

• Collecting data and establishing national and regional databases and information systems
• Providing technical assistance to participating Countries in identifying key problems and developing overviews of the existing situation
• Establishing networks for information exchange and providing training and institutional strengthening
• Developing a Strategic Action Plan for addressing environmental management problems in the Danube.
• Preparing a series of pre-investment studies for high priority investments for local and international funding

Main Programme activities were:

1. Accident Emergency Warning System. To enable rapid, international warning to be given of severe, accidental pollution and other transboundary emergency situations.

2. Applied Research. To support the implementation of legal, policy and management frameworks that are required to address concern about the environment in the River Danube, its delta, and the Black Sea.

3. Data Management. To provide relevant information on networks, institutions, organizations and persons to governments, industries, decision makers and the general public, to provide knowledge about databases and libraries holding information about the Danube River Basin and related topics.

4. Diagnostic Pre-investment Missions / Studies. To review all environmental problems in the basins, including standards; enforcement, non-point sources and institutional problems, as well as to identify 'hot-spot' projects for urgent investment action to reduce major impacts on the environment.

5. Institutional Development. To strengthen networks, institutions, human resources and NGOs, to assist environmental ministries, regulatory bodies, local authorities and non-governmental organizations to improve management practices, to focus on environmental awareness and policy changes within sectoral ministries, to promote active participation of these bodies in the national and international context.

6. Integrated Regional Environment Studies and Inventories. To provide an overview of the environment in the basin focusing on biological resources in the river corridor, groundwater protection, agricultural practices, contaminated sediments, hazardous wastes disposal, soil quality, and atmospheric deposition

7. Monitoring, Laboratory and Information Management. To strengthen national and regional capacity to deliver information for decision-making purposes.

8. National Reviews from the riparian countries summarizing their water environment status.

9. Strategic Action Plan. To provide a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy for regional and transboundary action to address the main environmental problems and priorities in the Basin.

The World Bank executed the component related to pre-investments. The EU funds are coming from the PHARE Multi-Country Programme budget and supports training, project planning for infrastructure development, institutional capacity building and protection and rehabilitation of wetlands and vulnerable ecosystems. The PHARE Programme contributed MECU 13,4 (US$16 million).

PHARE's objectives are to promote economic development in Danube countries and assist them in fulfilling their commitments with EU Association Agreements. In addition, in 1996, the EU TACIS Programme started to fund vital monitoring-related activities in Moldova and Ukraine, with a contribution of approximately MECU 0,3. The European Bank also made contributions to this programme for Reconstruction and Development, the Governments of Austria, the Netherlands, the USA, and the Barbara Gauntlett Foundation. Danube countries supported the Programme with national expertise, country information and, wherever possible, facilities to hold meetings and workshops. Task Force NGOs as well as others (e.g. Equipe Cousteau) made available the results of their relevant studies.

The Strategic Action Plan for the Danube River Basin 1995 - 2005

The preparation of the "Strategic Action Plan for the Danube River Basin 1995 - 2005" involved a drafting group including experts from Danube countries, donors and International Financing Institutions.

The Task Force monitored the process and finalized it over three consecutive meetings during a period of five months. Environmental Ministers endorsed it in Bucharest on 6 December 1994 from the Danube countries and the EU Commissioner responsible for the Environment.

The principles underlying goals and actions of the Plan include the precautionary principle; the use of Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP) for control of pollution at source, the polluter pays principle; and a commitment to regional cooperation and shared information among partners implementing the Action Plan. It lays out strategies for overcoming water-related environmental problems in the Danube River Basin.

Its strongly supports the process of cooperation and collaboration to address transboundary problems. It provides a framework for actions and policy changes to be implemented by relevant local and central authorities in Danube countries as well as a framework to identify environmental activities and investments needs. This process included a broad range of consultative meetings in all countries involving NGOs, representatives of industrial enterprises and inunicipal utilities, central and local environmental, and sectors institutions and authorities.

The following results can be credited to the Danube Environmental Programme:

• An active and strong networking component among ministries, national and local governmental bodies, industries, agricultural bodies and non-governmental organizations within each Danube country, and between countries;

• Adoption of the Strategic Action Plan for the Danube River Basin by the Ministers of Environment and the EU Environment Commissioner in December 1994;

• National Action Plans ready by the end of 1996;

• A Danube Information System (DANIS) for exchange of textual information was resigned with and for the Danube countries; it is available on Internet;

• Strengthening of Ministries of Environment with technical assistance, training and communication equipment;

• Pre-investment studies were carried out for major transboundary and national tributaries to the Danube River: the Morava/Nitra, Zagyva, Cris/Koros, Vilt/Osem and Olt river basins (executed by the World Bank)

• Increased awareness and training in sustainable agriculture;

• Human health issues, such as untreated, or inadequately treated, municipal sewage which is an important source of micro-biological contamination as well as the lack of sanitation and pollution by manure where water is used as drinking water, were raised.

• An NGO Danube Small Grants Programme successfully initiated;

• Establishment of the Danube Environmental Forum, with active involvement of national NGOs;

• Networks between the Danube countries have developed links on a multi-national basis, enabling national organizations, institutes and experts to work together in a cooperative manner.

In addition three complementary activities exclusively funded by the EU were also achieved in this programme:

• The Applied Research Programme is in operation, and has already provided information on causes of environmental degradation and the state-of-art of environmental technology including best available technology;

• A Basin-wide monitoring system is with up-dated laboratories and monitoring stations. Phase I (training, collection and analysis of data) will continue until mid-1997;

• An Accidental Emergency and Warning System with national warning centers and a basin wide satellite communication system. The operational phase will start in November 1996.

Danube Delta Project

A. Romanian Part.

Project objectives.

The project aims to protect the Romanian Delta ecosystems.

It would contribute to the conservation of biodiversity within the Delta, strengthening the capacity of DDBRA and the Danube Delta Institute (DDI), a research institute whose primary role is to conduct research on the delta ecosystems on behalf of DDBRA. It would enable DDBRA and DDI to monitor and manage protected areas effectively, working with local community groups to ensure sustainable resource use, and restoring some wetlands to their natural condition. An innovative feature comprises testing various approaches to wetland restoration and monitoring their impact.

The project must be seen within the context of three other GEF supported projects being developed for the region. The first is the GEF project for the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, which parallels this project. The second is the Danube River Basin Environment Program, a project supported by several donors, which aims to develop a plan for improved environmental management of the basin, reducing pollutant loads and strengthening institutions. The third is the Black Sea Management Project, coordinated by UNDP and the Bank, which aims also to prepare a plan for improved, coordinated management by a11 riparian, together with priority investments.

The Danube Basin, Delta and Black Sea are closely related ecosystems, and an objective of all three projects is to demonstrate the value of a coordinated approach to resolving water pollution and biodiversity problems with transborder linkages.

Project description.

The project includes the following components:

1. Strengthening the wardens department, to support nature protection, surveys, public awareness and nature interpretation in the Delta, through the provision of equipment to enhance mobility and surveying, infrastructure and training

2. Monitoring, through improved population and species inventories, ecosystem surveys, and development of an integrated database using GIS technology to provide the basis for development of resource management plans

3. Restoration of abandoned fish and agricultural polders to their natural condition with impact and hydrological monitoring, together with applied research into reed restoration

4. Protection of a lake from direct inflow of Danube water; willow planting; village woodlots; pilot protection of fish fingerlings from an irrigation pumping station intake; removal of some deteriorating metal structures for aesthetic enhancement; sturgeon propagation following studies; and establishment of a small grants fund to fund research proposals with special focus on management of buffer zones

5. Public awareness, including support to the wardens to work with schools and local communities, support to the DDBRA in production of public awareness material, and support to local NGOs to enable them to expand their public awareness activities

B. Ukrainian Part.

Project objectives.

The Project aims to protect and enhance the Ukrainian portion of the delta ecosystems, contributing to conservation of biodiversity within the delta. The Project would strengthen the capacity of DPA to expand and manage the protected areas effectively, and to work with local community groups to ensure sustainable resource use.

The Project is coordinated closely with the GEF Romania Danube Delta Biodiversity
Project, and with the GEF and multi-donor supported Danube River Basin and Black Sea Environment Programs, and is expected to demonstrate the value of a coordinated approach to solving water management and biodiversity problems with transborder linkages.

Project Activities.

1. Institutional strengthening : the Project would provide for the expansion and restructuring of DPA to develop and implement effective management plans for protected areas in and around the delta, through training and technical assistance, and provision of infrastructure including an office and visitors center, construction of a house for the director, office, transport and scientific equipment and its maintenance. Staff would be increased to a total of 50, and divided into sections, focusing on park management (wardens), biosphere reserve development, wetland monitoring and research, public awareness and administration;

2. Strengthening the warden's section, through staff increases to a total of 20, training in patrolling and protected area management, provision of equipment, and field office and residential accommodation;

3. Strengthening monitoring and database management, including ecosystem surveys and species inventories, database creation and management, and development of the scientific basis for resource use and management plans;

4. Pilot wetland restoration, including restoration of hydrological circulation to the Stentsovsko-Zhebrijanskie Plavni (SZP), pilot protection from Danube water of one lake ("kut") in the DP reserve and monitoring of the impact, restoration of the Vilkovo town canals, studies for restoration of Yermakov island partially being used by the Pogranichnik Sovkhoz for cattle and horse breeding, and studies of marketing alternatives for ecologically-friendly cultivated produce from the Lenin fisheries kolkhoz;

5. Public awareness and community involvement in protected area management both by DPA staff and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Ecological Club of Vilkovo, the Nature Protection and Regeneration Fund, and Odessa Zoo;

6. Developing and implementing a program for protected area expansion and creation of a biosphere reserve, through land use studies and sing information provided from monitoring, and community participation. The aim would be to expand protected areas from 15,000 ha to 34,000 ha over the project life, focusing on the Kiliya estuary and the Stentsovsko-Zhebrijanskie Plavny, within a biosphere reserve covering 67,000 ha;

7. Coordination with GEF activities in Romania and the GEF Black Sea Environmental Management Program; and

8. Technical expertise to prepare an endowment fund to finance the recurrent costs of expanded protected areas in a second phase.

Azov Sea Project (The Netherlands contribution to the Black Sea Environmental Programme)

The collateral contribution of the Netherlands to the BSEP amounts to $1.5 million.
The project focuses on the Azov Sea and aims to construct a framework for the analysis of environmental policy options in the region.

Main objectives includes:

• the construction and support of a network of research and administrative organizations in the region;

• the analysis of available databases, the identification of data gaps and the collection of additional information on the status of the Black Sea;

• the development of models and expert systems which assist environmental policy analysis;

• the analysis of a selection of policy options;

• the implementation of the methods and instruments which have been developed.

The Azov Sea Project was launched in May 1993 and will continue through to the end of 1995. The main contributor is Delft Hydraulics under the supervision of the Netherlands Ministry for Transport, Public Works and Water Management.

Main Activities:

• Development of Azov Sea Decision Support System

Achievements:

• Azov Sea Decision Support System transferred to Russia and Ukraine in the end of 1995

The expected results of the project can be summarized as follows:

• adopted NBS-SAPs and developed conditions at the national level for their implementation;
• initial proposal for a Black Sea Basin approaches to support the implementation of the BS-SAP;
• hand-over of the management of the BSEP network to the Istanbul Commission in accordance with the BS-SAP;
• significant improvements in public participation prior to the implementation of BS-SAP and NBS-SAPs; and
• developed scoping studies for investment portfolios (for elimination of hot spots and for other actions for supporting the implementation of the BS-SAP) and a Black Sea Environmental Fund which may be components of follow-up actions by the GEF or other donors.

Upon completion of the project the above mentioned results should create adequate conditions for the full implementation of the BS-SAP and the NBS-SAPs. The present project is not aimed at implementing the BS-SAP, rather at creating the conditions, which will facilitate its future implementation at a regional and national level.

After the completion of this projects the participating parties might decide to seek funding for the investments to improve water quality, control land-based sources of pollution and to conserve most important areas and habitats. The project will help to identify the baseline for incremental costs to be determined (in addition to the funding needed for projects yielding solely domestic benefits.

It is anticipated that multilateral, bilateral and private donors and non-governmental organizations will provide international financial support.

Target Beneficiaries

The primary target beneficiary of this project is the population of all Black Sea countries, in particular the population which lives in the coastal zone and the drainage basins of the Black Sea rivers (estimated population 162 million). They should be beneficiaries of the main results which are expected to be improved water quality, rehabilitation of the renewable natural resources of the Black Sea, improved coastal zone management and development of NBS-SAPs.

Successful implementation of the proposed Project should have direct benefits in terms of the improvement and protection of public health and the general quality of the coastal zone and through these achievements several million tourists from the region and from abroad will be able to enjoy clean and aesthetically pleasing recreational facilities. In the short-term, governments and institutions will benefit from institutional strengthening as a result of networking, training Programmes and the provision of key items of equipment and in particular from the development of NBS-SAPs. Proper environmental assessments and pre-investment studies should facilitate the release of vital credits for improving waste management and for stimulating the development of key sectors.

The direct recipients of the outputs would be:

• Governments of the region;
• the Istanbul Commission, once operational;
• national Black Sea Programme Coordinators;
• regional scientific and technical organizations concerned with the Black Sea water quality issues and management/rehabilitation of natural resources;
• national, local and municipal governments in cooperating countries;
• technical organizations, universities, research institutes and private sector organizations (tourism, agriculture, fisheries, industry, environmental consultancy firms, etc. in coastal states; and
• non-governmental organizations concerned with environmental management and conservation of natural resources.

The target beneficiaries would be:

• the resident population of the Black Sea Region, which would benefit from improved water quality, enhanced fishery resources, recreational opportunities and strengthened protection and management of natural habitats;

• fishermen and the recreation business would also benefit from improved environmental quality as the result of the reduced transport of pollutants to the sea following implementation of new policies and investments;

• regional and international tourists who visit the Black Sea Region and adjacent areas of the Black Sea coast for a wide range of purposes;

• future generations of the human population both within and beyond region would benefit from the opportunities created by the conservation of biodiversity in the region - the present project enables the present generations to respect the rights of future ones instead of transferring the consequences of irrational development to them; and

• the world population at large will benefit through the direct contribution made to the improvement of an important international water body and the demonstration effect which this project will have for other regional seas.