Knowledge transfer – impact of hydropower construction and climate change on aquatic ecosystems

On 27 March 2021, within the project BSB165 ”Creating a system of innovative transboundary monitoring of the Black Sea river ecosystems transformation under impacts of hydropower development and climate change”  – HydroEcoNex, the Institute of Zoology organised the knowledge transfer workshop ”Modifications of the functioning of aquatic ecosystems under the impact of hydropower construction and climate change”. 

Event, organized online, has had more than 90 participants, mostly didactic staff, undergraduate, master and doctoral students of the Aleco Russo State University from Balti and the Dunărea de Jos University from Galati, but also teachers and students of the Elena Doamna College of Food Industry from Galati, Dumitru Moțoc Lyceum of Tourism and Food from Galati.

Workshop program included extensive communications on changes in the functioning of the Dniester River under the influence of hydropower development (corresponding member of ASM Elena Zubcov, manager of the international project BSB165), key problems and environmental challenges in the Prut river basin (Prof. Habil. Dr. Antoaneta Ene, coordinator of the team of the Dunărea de Jos University of Galați within the BSB165 project), provisions of the European environmental legislation on management of hydropower buildings (Dr. Nadejda Andreev), global trends in hydropower development, environmental and social aspects of this branch of industry (Dr. Assoc.Prof. Lucia Bilețchi) and the influence of hydrotechnical constructions on fish communities (Dr.Hab. Assoc.Prof. Dumitru Bulat).

At the end, the team of the Institute of Zoology was rewarded with many words of praise, the participants appreciating the informative presentations, but also the enormous effort, involvement, self-sacrifice of researchers for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and water resources of the Republic of Moldova. 

It should be noted that this is the second knowledge transfer workshop organized within the BSB165 project. The first took place in Odessa in December 2019 and was conducted by the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea (fourth project beneficiary, PB4). It was focused on the reduction of river flow into the Black Sea under the influence of hydropower and climate change. Until the end of the project (September 2021), three more events of this type will be organized by the other partners of the project - International Environmental Association of River Keepers Eco-Tiras (PB2), Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, Romania (PP3) and the Hydrometeorological Center for Black and Azov Seas, Ukraine (PB5).

The HydroEcoNex team of the Institute of Zoology is very grateful to the didactic staff of the Alecu Russo State University from Bălți (Faculty of Real, Economic and Environmental Sciences), in particular, Dr.Hab. Research Prof. Boris Boincean and Dr. Assoc.Prof. Stanislav Stadnic, and the project partners from the Dunărea de Jos University of Galați (Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Food Science and Engineering, Cross-Border Faculty), for the support offered in the organization and good development of the event.

Lucia Bilețchi