Research Program of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki CARE SEA: International Cooperation for the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution
With the aim of promoting environmental cooperation and raising awareness among stakeholders, institutions, and citizens to mitigate and eliminate pollution in the wider Black Sea region, a research project is currently underway at the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh).
Partners of the project, titled “CARE SEA – Cooperation and Awareness for Pollution-free and Environmentally Sustainable Black Sea”, include the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), the Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) in Georgia, the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development (DDNIRD) in Romania, the Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) in Turkey, and the University of Political and Economic European Studies “Constantin Stere” (USPEE) in Moldova.
The scientific coordinator of the project is Associate Professor Antigoni Zafeirakou, and its objective is to enhance the protection and conservation of nature and biodiversity in the coastal and marine areas of the Black Sea, by raising awareness and promoting collaboration among stakeholders on various types of pollution, while also offering practical tools for action towards a greener and cleaner region.
From Detection to Action: Online Platform for Recording and Reducing Plastic Pollution
From the Greek side, special focus will be placed on the management of plastics and microplastics that end up in the marine environment and protected areas, through in-depth study of the issue and the development of a model that simulates microplastic movement in aquatic environments. At the same time, in order to utilize the project results for the benefit of Greek society, awareness-raising activities will be organized along with the creation of a dedicated website where citizens will be able to mark coastal and marine areas with plastic pollution on an online map. This information will be shared with relevant stakeholders to initiate mitigation and cleanup actions.
The CARE SEA project is implemented under the European Territorial Cooperation Programme “Interreg VI-B NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme”, with a total budget of €845,308.56, and Interreg funding amounting to €760,777.69. The project will last 24 months and is expected to be completed in 2026.
More information about the project: caresea.net
Disclaimer
Cooperation and Awareness for Pollution-Free and Environmentally Sustainable Black Sea
Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (e-mail: web@bsu.edu.ge/ info@bsu.edu.ge phone: + (995 593 303957/995 577 153555 website:
https://caresea.net, www.bsu.edu.ge
