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GEF
Global
Action
W
on
ater
Public Disclosure Authorized
REDUCING POLLUTION
Support priority investments to reduce dis-
charges from municipal sewage, industrial,
and agricultural pollution sources.
With much of the analytical framework in place,
the 17 collaborating countries are now poised to
implement additional GEF-funded projects on
Public Disclosure Authorized
the ground to reverse the degradation of the
Black Sea.
GEF ACTION IN THE BLACK SEA
/
Panos Pictures
While legend has it that Jason and his Argonauts
searched the Black Sea region for the Golden
Chris Stowers
Fleece, early explorers often fought the westerly
Within sight of one of the world's largest bodies
current of the Bosporus for more palatable
of water, residents of six nations bordering the
rewards. For centuries, salmon and huge stur-
Black Sea and the rivers that feed into it must
geon crowded up the rivers to spawn while giant
look elsewhere for adequate drinking supplies.
schools of anchovy circled the sea in an annual
The Black Sea waters, overburdened by pollution,
migration. Even in more recent times, the Black
Public Disclosure Authorized
eutrophication, invasive species, overfishing, and
Sea waters supported some two million fisher-
other human demands, have left local residents
men and their families.
surrounded by a severely degraded resource that
has ruined their way of life and hobbled their
In addition to its prodigious fisheries, the Black
economic development. The combined costs of
Sea also served as a vacation spot for 40 million
all these problems, including impacts on human
people annually before pollution took its toll. Its
health, may approach $1 billion per year.
drainage basin is five times larger than the sea
itself, encompassing 17 countries with enough
In the most extensive campaign against pollution
pollution to make this water body the most seri-
currently supported by GEF, Black Sea and
ously degraded regional sea on the planet.
Danube Basin countries have collaborated in a
broad effort to:
The process of restoring the Black Sea began
soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,
Public Disclosure Authorized
Identify major transboundary pollution
when the six riparian states of the region--
problems,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian
Federation, Turkey, and Ukraine--signed the
Highlight needed policy, institutional, and
Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea
legal reforms in each country, and
in 1992.

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Thanks to this early start, the Black Sea region
Danube Basin governments, a series of regional
was one of the first GEF-supported international
projects are under development by the GEF and
waters projects to proceed from concept design
its partners. The objectives are to assist countries
to an on-the-ground presence. Initially more
in adopting needed policy, institutional, and
than $20 million in GEF support was provided to
legal reforms and making priority investments.
Black Sea and Danube Basin countries to com-
This coordinated effort highlights the new
plete strategic work on identifying priority trans-
"programmatic approach," which is helping the
boundary problems, hot spots of pollution
countries of the Black Sea and its entire drainage
sources, and policy reforms and investments for
basin meet obligations under the Global
solving their water-related problems. Currently,
Program of Action for the Protection of the
the GEF is providing more than $115 million to
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.
support 12 projects dealing with the Black Sea.
Among the activities proposed are single coun-
Working in cooperation with a broad array try investment projects in the municipal waste-
of partners, the Black Sea and Danube Basin
water and agricultural sectors, and investment
countries:
projects for private sector pollution reduction.
These efforts illustrate the potential for GEF to
Identified 500 pollution hotspots, of which
assist in developing financing packages with
300 were high/medium priority;
partners on behalf of water issues.
Adopted a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) that
Joint action among nations is not limited to pol-
included commitments for country policy,
lution abatement. Many floodplain wetlands in
legal, and institutional reforms needed for the
Black Sea tributaries have been diked or drained
Black Sea and Danube Basin clean up; and
for conversion to agriculture and have become
degraded as a result. They are often trans-
Agreed on specific commitments to install
boundary in nature, such as the Drava-Mura
clean technology and reduce organic and
system in Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia that
toxic discharges by 30 percent in a decade.
has recently received protection to conserve its
Also, by the year 2010, the countries com-
biodiversity resources. GEF investments are cur-
mitted themselves to reducing nitrogen pol-
rently supporting wetland restoration in
lution by about 14 percent and phosphorus
Bulgaria and Romania as well as on the Danube
pollution by 27 percent.
Delta of Romania and Ukraine. Biodiversity proj-
ects supported by GEF are also included in inte-
A BASINWIDE APPROACH
grated land and water management. Already,
As a result of these commitments, facilitated
Georgia, Ukraine, and Turkey have sought GEF
through GEF and European Union assistance as
support to protect important wetlands of the
well as active participation by Black Sea and
Black Sea region.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Global Environment Facility
1818 H Street NW
Washington DC 20433 USA
Tel: 202-473-0508
Fax: 202-522-3240
www.theGEF.org
January 2006

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