Project name: 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
Project acronym: Black Sea SIERRA
Project number: 101124670
Call: EMFAF-2023-PIA-FLAGSHIP
Topic: EMFAF-2023-PIA-FLAGSHIP-2-BLACK
Type of action: EMFAF Project Grants
Granting authority: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Grant managed through EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Yes (eGrants)
Project period: 1 October 2023 – 30 September 2026
ABSTRACT
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, by Black Sea (RO, BG, UA, TR) and Mediterranean experience (IT), 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 in demand grants 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.
The activities are organized in 6 work packages, related to planned objectives and results: WP1 secures project performance; WP 2 to 3 ensure quality data sampling and generate databases for pollution, bioaccumulation and underwater noise; WP 4 assesses marine pollution impact and identifies Best Available Techniques; WP 5 to 6 develop and optimize regional science-policy dialogue and training regarding marine pollution, monitoring and remedial solutions, by joint actions of EU/non-EU countries.
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 Project Objectives:
OB1.1. Securing project performance by meeting the budget and scheduled timescales objectives throughout management structures and procedures implementation
OB2.1. Identification and quantification of the marine pollutants of critical importance in the North, West, and South of the Black Sea, with special emphasis on emerging pollutants, microplastics, nutrients, algal blooms, noise pollution, and armed conflict-related pollution
OB 3.1. Assessment of contaminant bioaccumulation in the North, West, and South Black Sea region
OB 3.2. Integrative spatial representation and potential risk prioritization of marine pollution, including armed conflict related contaminants in the North, West, and South of the Black Sea region
OB 4.1. Identification of hotspot locations, quantification of specific pollutants connected to armed conflicts, and remedial measures
OB 5.1. Establishing the decision-making players (authorities and organizations), reaction strategies, and management tactics for marine pollution
OB 5.2. Development of a sustainable management plan for marine pollution – training curricula
OB 6.1. Preparation of intended dissemination materials for stakeholder decision-making support, to increase the knowledge and awareness, and grant access of the large public to the project’s outcomes
| Coordinator | National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection Bucharest (INCDPM) https://www.incdpm.org/ |
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| Partner 1 | Institute of Oceanology BAS (IO-BAS), Varna, Bulgaria https://io-bas.bg/ |
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| Partner 2 | E.M. Associazione A.R.C.E.S. (ARCES), Palermo, Italy https://www.arces.it/ |
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| Partner 3 | Ordu Universitesi (ORDU), Ordu, Türkiye https://www.odu.edu.tr/ |
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| Partner 4 | Scientific Hydrophysical Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (SHC-NASU), Kyiv, Ukraine |  |
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| Partner 5 | Mircea cel Batran Naval Academy (MBNAR), Constanta, Romania https://www.anmb.ro/ |
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| Partner 6 | Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Romania https://www.tuiasi.ro/ |
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Management Structure of the Project
WP1. Project management and coordination, development, and implementation of consortium management guidelines
WP2. Assessment of pollution levels in the Black Sea region (coastal zone, tributary rivers, and lagoons), generated by civil and military activities
WP3. Identifying major biodiversity components threatened by pollution (bioaccumulation) in the
coastal zone, tributary rivers, and lagoons of the Black Sea
WP4. Remedial measures and long-term reaction plans for particular contaminants in the Black Sea region associated with armed conflict
WP5. Elaboration of a complementary sustainable management plan in response to civil and military marine pollution in the Black Sea
WP6. Dissemination, instruction programs in sustainable and integrated management, prompt reaction to novel contaminant categories, and conservation of marine biodiversity
Expected results/deliverables:
- Consortium methodological guide for sampling and laboratory analysis of particular and/or specific pollution types
- Report on regional marine water pollution types and identification of the relevant indicators for the N, W and S region of the Black Sea Database of regional marine water pollution types and identification of the relevant indicators
- Report on bioaccumulation levels,including significant indicator trace elements,in extreme contamination levels, in the BS Database bioaccumulation levels, including significant indicator trace elements, in extreme contamination levels, in the BS
- Spatial and numeric models and simulations datasets concerning the spatial distribution and dispersion circuits of contaminants in the Black Sea
- Integrated regional pollution report and database including armed conflicts
- Monitoring guide for armed conflictrelated environmental pollution and Marine pollution remedial solution prototype
- Relevant authorities/organisations in charge of reaction to marine environment pollution and Extant information/training systems report
- Report on complementary sustainable management plan of response strategies to civil and military marine pollution
- Report on the complementary training curricula for optimized response capacity to marine pollution problems, including armed conflicts
- Training curricula for the Black Sea partners countries
- Training course and local/national workshop – Romania / Bulgaria / Ukraine / Turkey
- General Workshops and meetings with the decisional stakeholders and policymakers in the Black Sea region including EU representatives
Project Responsible for Partner 6 TUIASI
Professor PhD.Eng. Petrica VIZUREANU
Phone: +40.744793984
E-mail: peviz@tuiasi.ro peviz2002@yahoo.com