A key feature of the ECBSea Project strategy is the use of working groups as a source of input, ongoing communication, ownership and sustainability, at both regional and national level. The Biodiversity Working Group on Marine Protected Areas (BWG-MPA) was set up at regional level allowing cooperation and coordination amongst the project partners and the other countries parties to the Bucharest Convention.
The BWG-MPA was established by the ECBSea Project in order to provide guidance on the Project outputs and prepare a document "Guidelines for the Establishment of Marine Reserves in the Black Sea". The EU Marine Strategy and the Black Sea Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation Protocol call for the establishment of a marine reserve system. Based on a review of existing documents and legislation on the current situation regarding the formation of a marine protected area system around the Black Sea, a draft policy document was prepared, discussed and endorsed at the First workshop of the BWG-MPA in Odessa. The final draft of the "Guidelines for the Establishment of Marine Reserves in the Black Sea" was submitted to the BSC-PS in early November.
The membership of the BWG-MPA is comprised of the technical experts and representatives of the countries beneficiaries and additionally members of the Advisory Group on Conservation of Biodiversity (AG-CBD) of the Black Sea Commission.
Three meetings of the working group were organized during the project cycle of April 2008 – February 2009.
The First WG Meeting took place on 15 April 2008, in Odessa.
The Second WG Meeting took place on the 4th-5th of September, 2008 in Odessa.
The Third Working Group Meeting took place on March 10th 2009 in Odessa.
Pilot project for setting up a marine reserve system in Ukraine
This activity is a practical demonstration to other parties of the Bucharest Convention on how the marine protected areas policy could be implemented. It follows international best practice in identifying the existing and potential biodiversity resource base (species, habitats and ecosystems) within the Black Sea biogeographic zone, describing and mapping these resources (data base and GIS techniques), and application of appropriate criteria (e.g. those used for selecting Natura 2000 sites in the EU) in order to draw up a proposed marine protected area system in Ukraine.
Desk Study and Field Survey of Karkinitsky Bay is implemented by the Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, Odessa branch (IBSS).
The Desk Study on Karkinitsky Bay is already completed and the baseline report developed.
An English summary of the report is being prepared. The stakeholder analysis of the report is under way.
The survey methodology for the fieldwork was agreed with the Project Biodiversity and MPA Key expert. Up to 14 survey points distributed throughout Karkinitsky Bay were to be sampled. Each survey point is at the centre of the 10 x 10 km pan-European grid which has been laid over the Bay.
The Field Survey was conducted in September 2008 by the specialists from the Institute of Biology of Southern Seas (IBSS), Odessa branch. The outcomes of the survey are presented in the report developed by the performing organization.
Preparation of GIS Maps of Karkinitsky Bay is accomplished by the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of Sea (UkrSCES).
All available digital geographic information about Karkinitsky Bay was collated in the GIS, based on official marine charts, as well as information collected from previous projects (BSERP, BSEP, PlanCoast etc) providing the most comprehensive geographic data set ever assembled for Karkinitsky Bay.
In addition, the EEA pan-European 50 x 50 km chorological grid for biodiversity monitoring was superimposed on the study area, and broken down to show sub-units of 10 x 10 km and 2 x 2 km. Each cell has been numbered and cross-referenced to the geographical coordinates. There are 14 of the 10 x 10 km cells which will be used as the basis for field sampling provided by the IBSS. A laminated A1 size print-out of the map has been provided to IBSS for field use.
IBSS received training (under a separate project) from Lithuanian experts in using submarine video cameras to record and analysis seabed habitats in the framework of the EU Habitats Directive and AG-CBD marine habitat classification.
The GIS maps of Karkinitsky Bay were completed in November 2008. These outputs were combined to create the Dossier for the designation of the Small Phyllophora Field MPA in Karkinitsky Bay, which was translated into Ukrainian in February.
Regional Training on Management and Marine Reserves
A regional training course on management of MPAs was delivered on March 11, 2009 in Odessa in association with stakeholder meeting. This training focused on disseminating best practice in establishing and managing MPAs in Europe and Black sea area. The ECBSea Project Biodiversity Key Expert, Paul Goriup lectured on the European Experience in establishing and managing MPAs. Tea Barbakadze of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia spoke about MPA management experience in Georgia using Kholketi National Park as a case study. Valentina Todorova of the Institute of Oceanography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, described the process of designating Marine Natura 2000 Sites in Romania and Bulgaria. Victor Karamushka, ECBSea national expert gave a presentation on MPA policy and practice in Ukraine.
The experience of preparing the designation dossier for the MPA in Karkinitsky Bay was used as a case study for a detailed examination of the MPA, designation and management. This included presentations from Boris Alexandrov of IBSS on Information Gathering, Field Surveying and MPA Identification; and Richard Lisovsky of UkrSCES will provide a training session on Digital Planning Tools, such as GIS and CMS.
The online version of the Karkinitsky Bay GIS and data base was demonstrated live on the local internet connection which generated a lot of interest among the participants. In addition all participants (a total of 28 people) received a CD-Rome with all presentations, Karkinitsky Bay documentation and maps, and an “MPA Library” comprising recent legislation, publications and guidelines from EU, UK, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, EUCC and IUCN.
ECBSea Project has developed Preliminary Management Plan for the Small Phyllophora Field Marine Protected Area Karkinitsky Bay, Black Sea and submitted it to the Ministry for the Environment of Ukraine. The main purpose of preparing this document was to assist in training specialists and managers who do or will have a role in the management of MPAs in Ukraine, as well as other countries bordering the Black Sea. The plan is based on current best practice approaches in which a site’s conservation features are managed according to factors and attributes.
On 22 September 2009 ECBSea Project passed on to the Ministry for Environmental Protection of Ukraine a Proposal for the Declaration of a Marine Protected Area: “Botanical Reserve of National Importance, Small Phyllophora Field of Karkinitsky Bay”, that was developed in result of biodiversity and MPA activities. The purpose of this document is to provide the necessary information and justification for declaration of a marine protected area for the Small Phyllophora Field that exists in Karkinitsky Bay.
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Version for print
This project is funded by the EU