A research project of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is underway, aiming at the environmental cooperation and awareness of institutions, institutions and citizens for the mitigation and elimination of pollution in the wider Black Sea region.

The partners of the project, entitled “CARE SEA – Cooperation and Awareness for Pollution-free and Environmentally Sustainable Black Sea”, are the Aristotle University, the Batumi National University “Sota Rustaveli” of Georgia (BSU), the National Institute for Research and Development of the Danube Delta of Romania (DDNIRD), the Technical University of Karadenaiz, Turkey (KTU) and the University of Political and Economic European Studies “Constantin Stere”, Moldova (USPEE).

The objective of the research project, under the scientific responsibility of Associate Professor Antigoni Zafeirakou, is to enhance the protection and conservation of nature and biodiversity of the coastal and marine area of the Black Sea, through the awareness and cooperation of stakeholders on the various types of pollution and the provision of practical means of action towards a greener and cleaner area.

From Detection to Action: an online platform for recording and reducing plastic pollution

From the Greek side, emphasis will be placed on the management of plastics and microplastics that end up in the marine environment and in protected areas, both through a thorough study of the issue and the development of a relevant model that simulates the movement of microplastics in the aquatic environment. At the same time, in order to exploit the results of the research project for the benefit of the Greek society, information activities will be organised and a special website will be set up where citizens will be able to mark online with a pin on a map, coastal-marine areas where they observe a concentration of plastic pollution. This information will be shared with interested parties to enable them to undertake mitigation and recovery actions and initiatives.

The CARE SEA project is implemented under the European Territorial Cooperation Programme “Interreg VI-B NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme”, has a duration of 24 months and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Μore information about the project: https://bsu.edu.ge/sub-51/page/2-344/index.html