An interesting holiday is celebrated on October 31 – International Black Sea Day. On this day in 1996, the governments of the Black Sea countries – Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, the Russian Federation, Bulgaria and Romania – signed a very important environmental protection document. It is called “Strategic action plan for restoration and protection of the Black Sea”.

These events were preceded by the implementation of the EU-UNDP project “Strengthening the ecological monitoring of the Black Sea”. According to the research, it was established that the water is in a terrible condition and polluted by garbage, mainly plastic waste. A large number of substances harmful to the ecosystem were found in seawater – 124 chemical compounds, including biocides, flame retardants, and pesticides. The positive aspects of the monitoring were the discovery of a number of species of marine inhabitants that were considered completely extinct. The positive dynamics of the recovery of the unique ecosystem of the Zernov Philophorous Field was also monitored.

International Black Sea Day is an opportunity to draw people’s attention to environmental problems in the region. And the signing of the “Strategic Plan” is a prerequisite for the development and implementation of an effective environmental protection policy.