The Black Sea- An Economic Partner
THE BLACK SEA- AN Economic PARTNER
IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY AFFAIRS.
EVALUATION OF OBLIGATIONS taken for IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN FOR THE REHABILITATION AND PROTECTION OF THE BLACK SEA
A.I. Shevchuk
Odessa Branch International Socio-Ecological Union, Odessa
\’Influenced by people\’s activities, our environment is exposed to qualitative changes, which made questionable a habitual human existence\’ (3). Middle of 80s have marked a new idea for establishing of the international mechanism that will resolve environmental problems concerning resources of common use. Established in 1991, Global Environmental Facility is focused on realization of the projects related to the global changes in the Biosphere. In Rio de Janeiro (1992) series of the Conventions were adopted, thus, introducing important instruments for resolving the global problems of life preservation on the Earth.
The Black Sea countries are the contracting parties for Convention on the Black Sea protection from contamination (Bucharest, 1992), Odessa Declaration (1993), Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation. (Aarhus, 1998). By 1996, the Black Sea Environmental Program finished its activities that resulted with Black Sea Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea.
Adoption of the Strategic Action Plan by the Black Sea states (31.10.96) was, in a matter of fact, - a note that the governments of these states recognize so far and are committed to develop the common strategy of the Black Sea protection and rehabilitation, management of its coastal and marine resources for the period of 20 years. No any Black Sea state has realized the commitments it has committed to.
Provision of the Bucharest Convention, in the part of establishing of the Istanbul commission and Secretary, Consultative groups and Black Sea Ecological fund, was not effected. The Bucharest Convention and Odessa Declaration should have become, but have never turned to obliging documents
that function is environment protection of the Black Sea. As being out of mechanisms for realization of the proclaimed positions, the Bucharest Convention is still in a declarative state.
The situation is that the plans on the Black Sea use are prepared far away its boundaries, whereas the ineffective Black Sea management system, offered by the Strategic action plan, should be disbursed by the Black Sea states. Economic mistakes of the Strategic Action Plan, should be corrected.
Situation in Ukraine is not so good either. The national plan exists as one of possible options under the insufficient title, (though accepted in Istanbul), the priorities are deviating. The elaboration of the Program was conducted without the experts intervention, the project "Programs…" is not published and discussed by spatched 1 experts involved, no regional coordination was observed and no wide public was involved which should be a must in such cases.
Now, even those programs that could help to resolve the problems underlined by BSEP/GEF are heavily reduced. Commercial exploitation of fleet, participation in the projects of international programs, begging the lab ware from donors, all that became the source of financing for scientific researches. Many projects were carried out only due to the personal initiatives of the experts. Building of Odessa oil terminal has started at an alternate point (at Ajalyksky liman) without the state environmental expertise. Hazardous productions grow up without public notification according to the current legislation of the republic (chemical Ro-Ro terminals, etc.)
What to do
Taking into consideration the Black Sea crisis state, high intensity of sea transportation in Bosporus, the intent of Turkey is to restrict transport flows, so that we offer an alternative pathway of petroleum and crude oil transportation in the Caspian and Black Sea region through the existing system of oil pipelines around the Caspian sea: from Tikhoretskaya station to the northwest up towards the oil pipelines "Druzhba", "Brody - Odessa" (or other) to the Central Europe destination.
Such solution, in case of its respect, will minimizes general anthropogenous load on the marine ecosystems, will save Seawaters from considerable transport leakages and inevitable accidents, as it is proved by statistics). The ring oil pipeline around the Black Sea will meet the spirit of the Strategic action plan, the spirit of the UN Declaration on environment and the realization of the European environmental policy statements. The proposition is supported by the representatives of the NGO Forum of six Black Sea countries and, according to available information, it is supported by the National academy of sciences of Ukraine.
It is necessary to carry out EIA of an anthropogenous load on the Black Sea ecosystem, taking into consideration the planed location of petroleum and gas terminals, oil and gas extraction fields at the Azov and Black Sea shelf, frequent NATO exercises (which contradict to the Marpol Convention 73|78 positions concerning the Black Sea as a special region), alien organisms boom. EIA will how the marine capacity to a self-cleaning and will determine sustainable level of traffic through Bosporus a probable level of a general load on different plots of the Sea ecosystem.
It is necessary to support Istanbul residents in their aspiration to reconsider the Convention on straits regime (Montreux, Switzerland, 1936). Nowadays, the transportation of ecologically dangerous cargo is carried out within the city of Istanbul boundaries, together with municipal transport flows, this causes permanently growing augmentation of dangerous transport situations and perturbation of citizens.
The common will is necessary for the Black Sea salvage
It is offered to develop a Concept of nature management in the Black and Azov Sea basin, the basis of which will be found in idea of joint economy of regions. For this purpose the following urgent activities are necessary:
- For the states of the Black and Azov Sea basin - users - to support legislatively a new concept of the system of nature management: "nature ownership", i.e. admit that the Black Sea has the property rights (resembling with "state ownership").
- To establish organization (optional: "The Black Sea Bank"), which would represent interests of the Black and Azov Seas, having assigned these seas to the equivalent stakeholder and economic partner of the European countries and others.
The new international body should carry out, on the one hand, responsibility for the Black and Azov Seas environmental state, on the other hand, it should sell some renewable resources, just to obtain means of existence and for rehabilitation of the Black and Azov Seas resources.
We think that urgent measures, which will help to coordinate the activities of the countries on the Black and Azov Seas protection are as following:
- Development of the special protocol of the Bucharest convention on the waste water sewage quotas for all countries of the European basin, proceeding from assimilating Sea capacity (self-cleaning ability);
- Unification of the Black and Azov Seas protection and rehabilitation procedures conducted by different countries;
- Development and incorporation of the pilot project of ecological agriculture within water-draining areas of internationally valuable water-marsh territories;
- Establishing e international training center on breeding of rare species of endemic and other fishes of the Black and Azov Seas on the basis of existing fish nursery HTMO, Odessa, Ukraine.
At a national level it is required to:
- Immediately separate functions of reproduction and protection of fishresources of Ukraine within the system of the Ministry of agriculture of Ukraine;
- To delegate control functions and fish resources protection functions and with existing infrastructure to Ministry of ecology and natural resources;
- It is necessary to leave the functions of reproduction and fish resources production behind the Ministry of agriculture;
- To organize on the shelf of the northwestern part of the Black Sea a state reserve "Zernov\’s philophore Sea" (by analogy with Sargasy Sea at the Atlantic ocean) with the purpose of conservation and rehabilitation a unique biocenosis (120 species of unvertebrates (chordata), 50 species of fishes, valuable industrial raw material - acaroids, etc.);
- To carry out the Coastal Code of Ukraine.
References
1. Appeal to Council of Europe, G7 financial structures by the Black Sea NGO Forum. 1997-2000.
2. Convention on the straits regime, Montreux, November, 9, 1936, Collected Laws for 1937, dept.11, № 13, p. 71.
3. Declaration "About the strategy of International SEU activities in 21st century", materials of the 7-th Conference, SEU News, №1, 2000.
4. International SEU "About the purposes and problems of SEU. The estimation of the situation", Temirtau, 1997.
5. Kamalov Yu. S., Interregiomal approach to Aral Sea. Soviet Environmental Watch, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Winter 1991, USAP.
6. Law Project of Ukraine "About the confirmation of the State program on the Azov and Black Seas protection and rehabilitation", 2000.
7. OSEU appeals to the Strategic plan, 1997-2000.
8. OSEU declarations and letters to the Supreme Rada, Cabinet of Ministers and General Procecutor \’s office of Ukraine, 1993- 2000.
9. Resolution of the 4-th conference of the Black Sea forum NGO of Ukraine, 1997, Odessa, Ukraine.
10. Shevchuk A.I., A bank that makes a difference? A report on EBRD, A SEED Europe, 2000.
11. Shevchuk A.I., Estimation of the obligations, taken by Ukraine, on realization of the Strategic action plan on rehabilitation and protection of the Black Sea, Odessa, OCNTI, 1997, p.95.
12. Shevchuk A.I., It the Seadies, we shall also die – a commented document collection regarding the Odessa oil terminal, Odessa, 1998, p. 320.
13. Shevchuk V. About productivity of state ecological policy. The report on the 6-th session of Committee of ecological policy EEC the United Nations, 1999.
14. Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea, Istanbul, Turkey, 1996.
Related articles::