The ecology of environment nowadays

PRIORITIES, CONTRADICTIONS AND HARMONIZATION

OF MANAGEMENT OF COASTAL ZONES

IN THE AZOV AND BLACK SEAS

(ON THE EXAMPLE OF LIVING RESOURCES EXPLOITATION)

I.I. Serobaba

Southern Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries

and Oceanography, (YugNIRO), Kerch, Ukraine

Declaration of Oceans adopted in 1992 at the Conference on Environment and Development in Rio called to the Humanity for integrated management and sustainable development of coastal zones and marine environment.Moreover, all the countries with the access to sea were recommended to develop and carry out the programs of complex management of coastal zones in accordance with their conditions.

Owing to their rich resources, coastal areas around the world are one of the most exploited zones. In the Azov and Black Seas the problems of the management are rather actual, as problems of the multinational jurisdiction are emerged there besides versatile inter-industrial nature utilization. Furthermore, regarding the problem of management of coastal zones in the Azov and Black Seas, it should be noted that from the marine point of view it is meant not the narrow coastal brand but the most productive shelf zone of the seas with all the transboundary problems of pollution jurisdiction, reproduction and exploitation of natural (in the first instance, living) resources.

However, in the general concept of the development of the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov the most important subject requiring the special attention from the point of view of preventive measures of nature utilization is the contact zone «continent-sea», having the great value for the exchange of substances and energy between continental marine coastal ecosystems. It is one of the most important components for the development of many sectors of the industry. Marine part of the coastal zones is of primary importance, including fisheries, reproduction of living resources, conservation of biodiversity and commercial growing of water organisms. In its instance, the state of living resources determine in many respects the state of coastal

zones as systems which integrate the indices of social and economic development of regions. Moreover, the inhabitants of coastal zones from any taxonomic groups, suffering ecological discomfort, may serve as indicators of risk ecosystems taking into account their sustainability and social and economical value.

Living (fish) resources of the Azov and Black Seas play important role in practice as one of the priorities for the harmonic development of coastal zones, providing the solution of problems with human food and health. Years ago rather productive Black Sea and highly productive Azov Sea provided only Ukraine with 150-260 thousand tons of fish and sea products. However, to early 90s, the state of marine fish resources in the Black and Azov Seas deteriorated greatly as compared with the previous decade. Catches of Ukrainian fishermen cut sharply and at present they do not exceed 50-55 thousand tons.

Falling off in fish commercial stocks took place in connection with intensive withdrawal of freshwater inflow of rivers, different forms of pollution, eutrofication, over-intensive harvesting of some fish species, as well as large consumption of food supplies and planktonophagous fishes by intruder from the Atlantic ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidy. Stocks of the most abundant pelagic fishes have reduced (excluding sprat), which traditionally made the main share of catches within the area, they being as follows - anchovy, tyulka and scad. Thus, the stock of Black Sea anchovy in early 80s was assessed by YugNIRO specialists within the range of 1,2-1,8 million tons, and in 1990 it made only 0,3 thousand tons, that resulted in collapse of the national and foreign specialized fishery of this species. Scad stock reaching in mid 80s 0,5-0,6 million tons reduced to 75 thousand tons in 1993. Its catches near Turkish coasts cut 20 times, and near the Crimean and Caucasian coast scad fishery ceased to exist.

Since mid 90s the fish stocks have been found to restore both in the Azov and in the Black Seas. It was determined by the stabilization of ctenophore biomass at less level, reduction in sea pollution and cutting in official number of commercial efforts (Goubanov, Serobaba, 1997). Along with this, in spite of the restoring fish stocks harvest limits for the Azov and Black Sea fishes are realized for less than 50%, that is connected with unsatisfied state of Ukrainian fishery industry. It also should be taken into account, that besides the traditional species for harvesting Ukrainian fishermen explored two new fish species – Pacific mullet and rapana. At the same time separate degradation of fish species is observed. Thus, due to the stock reduction phyllophore harvesting ceased to exist. Moreover, since 2000 Ukraine and Russian Federation stopped harvesting sturgeons by mutual concord in order to support their abundance.

In late 90s firstly in the Black Sea, and then in the Sea of Azov new intruder – ctenophore of Beroe genera began to develop. It is a natural enemy of ctenophore Mnemiopsis, that effectively reduce its abundance. It supports the formation of abundant food supply for planktonophagous fishes. In this connection it is expected that the state of water living resources might be rather stable, in the first instance, owing to planktonophagous organisms.

However, high catches and sustainable yield may be reached only under the condition of agreed regulation of fisheries either at the national and international levels. It should be taken into account in the multinational area of the Azov and Black Seas all kinds of human activities in the areas of common nature utilization require inter-industrial regional solution within one country but to be agreed with the other states.

There is no integrated harmony in coastal management in the Azov and Black Seas yet. In spite the fact that, European Union for Coastal Conservation is rather active in Europe, under which auspices the principles of management of coastal ecosystems are developed with the account of specification of various countries and regions, the agreed system of control and multipurpose management of coastal zones is absent there.

Till now the Pan-European Code of Behavior for Coastal Zones Management has been developed (Rig, 1997). It was preceded by the large work of professionals and non-governmental organizations, confessing the concept of the commercial management of coastal zones, that provided the sustainable development and conservation of coastal zones as well as preservation of their biological diversity. In the final version of the Code the principles of behavior of nature users of various key social economic branches are focused. In the first instance, it concerns the wide spectrum of anthropogenic impact not very compatible sectors of social economic activities.

It is rather complicated to coordinate quite incompatible economic activities with anthropogenic pressure on coastal nature complex. Moreover, a present it is aggravated by destructive processes of changing jurisdiction of coastal territories in the Azov and Black Seas. Negative experience of impact of different agencies on natural ecosystems of the coastal zones within the multinational Azov and Black Sea area convinces ecologists, legislators and red-tape mongers that conservation of the natural environment is not less important than any form of economic activity.

The modern problems of complex management of coastal zones are regarded not long ago (25-30 September 2000) at the international seminar in St. Petersburg (Russian Federation), the purpose of which was to make acquaintance with the world practice of development and realization of approaches and programs, aimed at the solution of the problems associated with the harmonization of nature utilization of coasts, including the coast and at sea with the contour biotop «coast-sea». The seminar results demonstrated, that the absence of market economy skills on one hand and destruction of the vertical governmental guidance on the other hand characteristic for the former socialist countries resulted in complete disharmony in nature utilization and aggravation of inter-industrial conflicts, including those on the marine coasts of the Azov and Black Seas. Although, owing to some local and regional initiatives, basing on the experience of developed countries the appropriate rule are being developed concerning the management of activities in various sectors of the economy.

Ukraine and Russia have been developed their own versions of Code of the management of coastal zones for the Azov and Black Seas, the drafts of which were discussed together with EUCC representatives on 6-8 July 1999 at the international seminar in Yalta by experts from both countries who are authorities from various sectors of coastal industry (Picaveretal., 1999). In these documents recommendations of different program documents of the international agencies, including Strategic Plan of actions for rehabilitation and protection of the Black Sea and European Strategy of protection of biological and landscape diversity, in which the great attention was paid to coastal and marine ecosystems.

We determine the state of living resources as a conceptually prior indicator of the integrated scheme of the management of coastal zones taking into account their special status as restorable resource of closed systems, examples of which may be the Azov and Black Seas, suffering the consequences of economic activity at all the watershed area.

There is no doubt that many species of bottom and pelagic biocenoses may express themselves as sensitive indicators of the environmental conditions. Therefore, in the hierarchy of priorities of harmonization of coastal zones management, with the account of the present state of the Azov and Black Seas ecosystems, living resources are of great scientific and practical interest in study of specific features in development of separate groups of animals and representatives of flora, data about which may be used in development of main normative documents in order to distribute anthropogenic loads on coastal ecosystems.

All the above said point out the necessity of protectionism in providing of sparing exploitation of stocks, conditions for reproduction and biota development in marine ecosystems as well as maintenance of biodiversity and common their biological productivity. Along with this, utilization of living resources, management of natural populations, reproduction, commercial growing, processing of water organisms and marketing of products require the appropriate development of different sectors of economy and infrastructure of the coastal zone.

Unfortunately, development of coastal industry, connected with direct and indirect impact on living resources, as well as the latter, require similar standards of quality for habitat, that aggravates contradictions between them. Even such industry as fisheries, which in the first instance is interested in conservation of sustainable state of water organisms resources, carrying out activities aimed at conservation of living resources, regulation of fisheries, fish stocks protection, their reproduction and restoration of water ecosystems as whole, when using the living resources may serve as a source of inadequate impact on marine biota (pollution, destruction of stocks, destroying of biocenoses). Therefore, one of the most important tasks in harmonization of complex management of coastal zones is to avoid the conflicts, first of all, in the industry itself. Furthermore, any actions of the complex management of coastal zones require complete mutual understanding between all the sectors of coastal economy, including the industry of tourism and rest, providing the reasonable patronage for living resources of marine ecosystems.

As a whole, provision of priorities in support of living resources and avoiding intra- and inter-industrial contradictions when developing and realizing programs of complex management of coastal zones taking into account international legal standards would contribute to adoption of adequate resolutions, aimed at conservation of natural ecosystems in the Azov and Black Seas.

References

1. Goubanov E.P., Serobaba I.I. Ecological aspects of fisheries in the Azov and Black Seas //Fisheries of Ukraine. Announcement issue. – Kerch, 1998. – P. 3-7. In Russian.

2. Rig K. Pan-Eupopean Code of Behavior for Coastal Zones. – Leiden. NL, EUCC, 1977. – 90 p.

3. Picaver A., Pogrebov V., Drozdenco I., Bosh R. Coastal Code being used in Russia and Ukraine//Coast line, Leiden. NL, vol. 8, N 4, 1999. – P. 7-10.

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