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The Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Project


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The project (BSERP) supported regional aspects of nutrient control in the Black Sea coastal countries. It also aimed to strengthen the role of the Black Sea Commission to ensure the formulation, adoption, and implementation of a suite of harmonized legal and policy instruments for tackling the problem of eutrophication and release of certain hazardous substances; and to facilitate ecosystem recovery, including through sustainable use of living marine resources.
Black Sea


The GEF Implementing Agency was the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP). The executing agent of the project was the United Nation Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

This page of the website reflects the involvement and responsibilities of Dr Reynolds, as acting Project Coordinator/Chief Technical Advisor during Phase I of the BSERP.

Responsibilities were as follows:
  • Establishing basin-wide consultative groups
  • Establishing and functioning of national inter-sectoral bodies
  • Reinforcing the legal background and promoting the implementation of the Global Programme of Action
  • Assisting with the project institutional network, including the Advisory Groups of the Black Sea Commission, Regional Activity Centres, NGOs and other stakeholders in project implementation
  • Management of the Small Grants Programme
  • Diffusing project outputs through newsletters, posters, technical reports amd public information bulletins
  • Coordination of relevant activities of donors, participants in the funding and implementation of the overall Black Sea Environmental Programme
  • Preparation of progress reports concerning programme activities

The following duties were carried out:
  • Management of the Programme Coordination Unit, its staff, budget and imprest fund
  • Preparation of the annual work plan of the programme on the basis of the Project Document, in close coordination with the national Coordinators, GEF partners, relevant donors and the Permanent Secretariat
  • Coordination and monitoring of the activities described in the work plan
  • Preparation and overseeing the development of Terms of Reference for consultants and contractors
  • Preparation and overseeing substantive and operational reports from the programme
  • Assisting the Black Sea Commission in the integration of its Secretariat and institutional network and to plan activities jointly
  • Ensuring consistency between the various programme elements (initiatives outcomes shown below)
  • Fostering and establishing links with other related Black Sea basin programmes

The following outcomes of the BSERP Phase 1 were achieved:

1. Support to the integration of a sustainable Secretariat for the Bucharest Convention
  • Programme Implementation Unit (PIU) fully staffed and operational
  • Established and operate the BSEP Joint Programme Management Group, the BSEP Executive Board and the Project Steering Group
  • Advisory Groups and Activity Centres operational and engaged in addressing transboundary issues
  • Istanbul Commission able to raise funding for transboundary projects
  • A Joint Management Committee was established between the Black Sea and Danube Commissions for basin wide decision making
  • Information in the public domain throughout the Black Sea coastal region regarding the transboundary problems and solutions offered

2. Regional actions for improving land-based activities (LBA) and legislation to control eutrophication
  • Prepared an in-depth study and stakeholder consultations at the national and regional levels on existing legislation, policies and practices, and identification of gaps and prospects for change
  • prepared a study of emergent issues in the Black Sea and their social and economic root causes based on application of the GIWA methodology.
  • Ensured clear commitments were made at the national and regional levels, for legal, administrative and technical measures

3. Assisting countries to improve their knowledge of the process of eutrophication in the Black Sea
  • Integration of international study group on Black Sea Eutrophication.
  • Peer reviewed study plan
  • Completion of 2 surveys in 2002 and studies of nutrient sources, sinks and fluxes
  • Aided the Black Sea Commission in the publication of the State of the Black Sea Report, 2003
  • Provided copies of the satellite colour scan maps and explanatory reports for distribution in all six Black Sea countries

4. Introducing new sectoral laws and policies for monitoring the effectiveness of measures to control pollution
  • Provided a detailed review of agricultural, industrial, and municipal policies and practices, and the mechanisms for implementation of BAP and BAT in the Black Sea region. The development of detailed proposals accepted by the countries to implement the measures were planned for completion in Phase II of the project.
  • Adopted a new system of process, stress reduction and environment status indicators employed, in parallel with the work undertaken during the PDF-B phase
  • Indicator data used to enforce existing/new laws, policies and regulations regulation and for regional status and trends reports
  • Conducted a pilot status-monitoring programme and published its report.
  • Use of the information base by all six countries.

5. Assisting the public in implementing activities to reduce eutrophication - support to regional NGOs.
  • Full implementation of first tranche of 29 projects
  • Effective contribution of NGOs evidenced by the establishment of a regional NGO Working Group on nutrient reduction, media reports and presence at significant regional open meetings
  • Lists of trained people from coastal countries
  • Environmental Education Study Pack published and incorporated in education programmes in the region.
  • Train Sea Coast Stakeholder training course on agriculture/environment prepared, validated and delivered to trainers
  • Development of a novel public awareness campaign: 'The Sea Shell Palace'

6. Formulating proposals for market-based instruments for limiting nutrient emissions
  • prepared a 'Gap analysis' showing the difference between the current use of economic instruments and those that would be required for the effective implementation of national nutrient reduction strategies is undertaken
  • Highlighted opportunities for public-private sector partnership (e.g. introduction of phosphate free detergents, new technology, organic farming, etc.) within countries identified

7. Measures to protect ecologically sensitive areas of the Black Sea
  • Concluded the negotiations of regional Fisheries Convention, particularly in relationship with the need to protect key habitats
  • prepared an assessment of transboundary populations of fish species and their relationship with sensitive habitats and current fishing practices
  • Prepared a Preliminary study on the evaluation of potential fisheries-free zones and Marine Protected Areas, their promotion with Black Sea governments and stakeholders; their incorporation into the Landscape and Biological Diversity Protocol to the Bucharest Convention
  • Training of coast guards etc. for their enforcement (by means of the preparation of a popular guidelbook, which was distributed to all riparian countries

8. The Development and approval of BSERP Phase II Project Document by the GEF Council
  • A full Project Document was produced with a full endorsement from the GEF CEO