The Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea

  

Was founded in January in 1992 on the basis of the Odessa Branch State Oceanographic Institute. It is the main institution of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine in the field of marine ecological researches. UkrSCES – is a unique institution of all state ecological systems of monitoring within the Black and Azov Seas, which provides a whole complex of tasks of the ecological monitoring.

Latest News

WHY AN INTEGRATED LONG-TERM ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE STRATEGY MATTERS

January 20th, 2026|

The condition of marine ecosystems is shaped by processes that evolve over long periods of time. Pollution, nutrient inputs leading to eutrophication, climate change, habitat degradation, and other anthropogenic pressures accumulate over decades. Accordingly, effective [...]

Current projects

Project web-site

The overall objective of the project is to improve the protection of the Black Sea environment. The project is addressing the overall need for support in protection and restoring the environmental quality and sustainability of the Black Sea.

The following activities will be carried out:

  • Project Activity 1: Continue support to the implementation of the countries’ obligation under the Bucharest Convention and other related Conventions and Agreements;
  • Project Activity 2: Conducting National Pilot Monitoring Studies (NPMS);
  • Project Activity 3: Large scale implementation of training and intercomparison programmes on monitoring methods and quality assurance adhering to the ISO 17025 standard;
  • Project Activity 4: Joint Open Sea Surveys (JOSS), Implementation of the Joint Black Sea Survey Methodology along the lines of the MSFD, WFD, BSIMAP;
  • Project Activity 5: Upgrade and operate the web based Black Sea Water Quality Database;
  • Project Activity 6: Dissemination of knowledge and best practices, public awareness and visibility.

Project web-site

This project will lay the basis for cross-border cooperation in the Lower Danube region for identifying significant land-based sources of pollution, improved monitoring of them, sharing information about them, and developing a strategy for reducing or eliminating their impacts. As the three countries concerned share the Danube River as a single hydrological unit, pollution in one part can quickly impact others, so it is in the interest of all partners to cooperate closely in this project.

In addition, investment will be made in a WWT system for Vylkove in Ukraine, a major tourism destination situated in the northern part of the Danube Delta and a significant source of organic pollution in the river. The project builds on a number of previous Phare and Tacis projects that were undertaken in the region over the last 15 years as part of the wider Danube Basin Pollution Reduction Programme (now incorporated in the Danube River Protection Convention), but which were focused on the individual country concerned.