Continuing to inform the general public about the results of the BSB165 HydroEcoNex project

The BSB165 project „Creating a system of innovative transboundary monitoring of the Black Sea river ecosystems transformation under impacts of hydropower development and climate change”, HydroEcoNex, foresees a series of events aimed to bring into attention of the general public the problems of management of aquatic resources in the Black Sea basin and disseminate the results obtained within the project.

Such an event, in the form of an information seminar, was organized by the Institute of Zoology, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea (fourth project beneficiary, PB4) and the Hydrometeorological Center for Black and Azov Seas, Ukraine (PB5), on 12 April 2021.

Although planned to be held in Tiraspol city, the seminar was organized online, in ZOOM platform, taking into account the epidemiological situation in the country. Even though the online format of the seminar affected slightly the interactivity of discussion, it offered the chance of participation to a large number of people from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (Odessa region). Thus, about 100 participants were registered, most of them being students and didactic staff of the T.G. Shevchenko Transnistria State University, Tiraspol city, and Odessa State Environmental University. Among the participants were also specialists in the field of environment or fields adjacent to environmental protection, water resources management (Republic of Moldova: Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Austrian Development Agency, State University of Moldova, Ukraine: Odessa I.I. Mechinikov National University), members of NGOs (Eco-Tiras (PB2), Association for Tourism Development in Moldova), etc.

Results of the HydroEcoNex project were presented by the corresponding member of ASM Elena Zubcov, manager of the international project BSB165 (modification of the Dniester river under the influence of hydropower development), Alexandr Matyghin, doctor in physico-mathematical sciences (peculiarities of hydrological regime of the Dniester river), doctor in biological sciences Svetlana Kovalyshyna (hydrobiological regime in the Dniester delta) and the doctor habilitat in biological sciences Dumitru Bulat (impact of hydrotechnical buildings on fish populations). Other discussed topics were the provisions of European legislation and policies in the field of management of aquatic resources, in particular transboundary ones (doctor in biological sciences Nadejda Andreev), global and European trends in hydropower development, the cumulative effect of environmental and social impact of the use of water energy for obtaining of electricity (doctor in biological sciences Lucia Biletchi).

The Institute of Zoology brings many thanks to all people who contributed to the organization of the event, especially the project partners from Odessa and doctor in biological sciences Serghei Filipenco, dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography of the T.G. Shevchenko Transnistria State University.

It should be mentioned that the first public seminar within the HydroEcoNex project was organized by the Institute of Zoology, in October 2020, in Giurgiulesti village, Cahul district. Until the end of the project implementation period (September 2021), some other public seminars will be organized in the localities placed in the basins of the Dniester and Prut rivers (Republic of Moldova, Ukraine).

Lucia Bilețchi