Black Sea SIERRA

Harnessing complementary curricular preparedness via sustainable management

in response to civil and military pollution on the coastline, tributaries and lagoons in

Black Sea‘s North, West, South zone

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily express those of the European Union or European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

About the project

Consortium partners

Objectives and workplan

Expected outcomes and results

About the project

Granting authority: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)

Programme: European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)

Call: EMFAF-2023-PIA-FLAGSHIP - Regional flagships projects supporting sustainable blue economy in EU sea basins

Topic: EMFAF-2023-PIA-FLAGSHIP-2-BLACK - Harnessing preparedness and response to marine pollution in the Black Sea

Type of action: EMFAF Project Grants

Starting date: October 1st2023

Duration: 36 months

Budget: 749 999.38 Euro Grant 599 999.50 Euro

The Black Sea SIERRA project will prepare and adapt decision-makers’ response capacity to current/emerging marine pollution, by coordinated cross-border response to armed conflict contamination. The consortium, with experience in the Black Sea (RO, BG, UA, TR) and Mediterranean (IT) basins lists two priorities:

Identifying specific types of marine pollution, including war related contaminants, on an area of cca. 90,000 km2 along the Black Sea shoreline (territorial, international waters), tributary rivers, and lagoons; Quantifying added marine pollution from armed conflicts, by detecting new contaminants and by hotspot diachronic and synchronic assays of undisturbed core sediments (thru project risk maps); Detection/assay of novel hazardous substances: war-generated/emerging contaminants, microplastics, pesticides, to assess the impact/threats on key marine biodiversity; A map of underwater noise pollution will assess its impact on biodiversity (dolphins).

The research activities will grant the premises to the management plan and training curricula and outputs on armed conflict contribution to marine pollution; Providing a handbook on marine pollution assessment methodology and sources, including armed conflicts in the Black Sea region; Development of remedial measures to be implemented by competent authorities; Conducting training workshops and meetings with decisional stakeholders and policymakers to increase response capacity, and to optimize cooperation of Black Sea participant countries.