The Black Sea one decade after the Bucharest Convention an overview of the international activities in the Black Sea Region

Abstract

Abstract The catastrophic degradation of the Black Sea in a period of four decade has been the major concern of the Black Sea countries and international communities since the Bucharest Convention signed in 1992.The Black Sea Region has became a challenging intemational arena for political, scientific and socioeconomic activities. Intensive international programmes and establishment of governmental and Non Governmental Organizational structures of the 1990s including Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Black Sea Environmental Programme (BSEP), Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin, Marine Environmental Assessment of the Black Sea Region Technical Cooperation Programme by the IAEA and establishment of the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat are some of the major international efforts of the past decade that emphasizes the multi -nationality and large dimension of the Black Sea environmental management issues. The environmental degradation of the Black Sea is briefly reviwed based on the BSEP reports and data available for land based pollution sources. The environmental risk of marine vessel accidents are also indicated and environmental safety concern is emphasized under the current conditions of intense energy transportation projects in the Black Sea and Caspian regions. The international policy actions, co-operation issues and scientific programmes of the past decade are overviewed with emphasis on the international achievements. Concluding remarks include the vital importance of continuation of the international commitments and sharing the political, scientific and socio-economic responsibility on the transboundary environmental pollution, rehabilitation and the safety issues of the Black Sea.

Keywords

• Key words: Black Sea, environmental pollution, Bucharest Convention, Turkish Straits Region, Black Sea strategic action plan, marine radioactivity