Assessment of the modern state of the Black Sea ecosystem (Republic of Abkhazia)

Abstract

Marine scientific research in the southern seas of Russia is a priority goal of the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the last five years, we have carried out more than 30 expedi� tions to the Black Sea [1]. Despite the fact that the ecosystem of the Black Sea is considered well studied [2–6], detailed studies in the waters of the Republic of Abkhazia were carried out up to the middle of the 1980s and were completely terminated in 1991 owing to disintegration of the USSR and a military conflict between Abkhazia and Georgia. In June 2010, multi� disciplinary ecosystem studies were carried out for the first time in 20 years in the territorial waters and exclu� sive economic zone of the Republic of Abkhazia according to the suggestion of the leaders of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Rosneft Open Society. A background assessment of the modern ecological state of the Abkhazian waters was performed. These studies were directed to the conservation and repro� duction of the natural resources and termination of the negative influence of economic activity on the envi� ronment and liquidation of its possible consequences. The field studies were carried out according to the actual legal regularities and international obligations of Russia and the Republic of Abkhazia in the sphere of ecology and safe nature management in the Black Sea basin. The expedition studies within the Gudauta licensed site included hydrobiological works (hypo� neustone, zoo�, bacterio�, phyto�, ichthyoplankton, zoo�, and phytobenthos), ichthyological investiga� tions, and observation of birds and marine mammals according to the generally accepted methods at 15 sta�