INTERREG BSB - Congress BlueC project

Regional Cooperation in the Black Sea: SturNet Presented at the BlueC Congress in Burgas

On 8–9 May 2025, the city of Burgas, Bulgaria, hosted an international congress as part of the INTERREG “BlueC – Carbon Binding Blue Black Sea” project, bringing together Ukrainian, Moldovan, Turkish and Bulgarian partners engaged in the preservation of the Black Sea’s marine ecosystems.

The event provided a platform for rich exchanges on key topics such as the ecological and economic importance of seagrasses, their role in carbon sequestration, and the challenges they face. The issue of marine litter in the Black Sea, a growing transboundary concern, was also central to discussions, underlining the need for strengthened cooperation at the regional level.

In this context, the Foundation for the Protection of Biodiversity in Bulgaria  was invited to briefly present the main objectives and first achievements of the SturNet project, also supported by the INTERREG Next Black Sea Basin programme. This initiative aims to establish a cross-border network of stakeholders committed to the protection of sturgeons, species critically endangered in the Black Sea basin.

Sturgeons face multiple threats: poaching, habitat fragmentation, pollution, and overfishing. The SturNet project seeks to respond to these challenges through an integrated approach combining scientific research, public awareness, strengthened regional cooperation, and the development of joint tools for monitoring and conservation.

By participating in an event such as the BlueC congress, SturNet reaffirms its commitment to regional environmental cooperation, positioning itself within existing initiatives and building bridges between them. The complementarity between the protection of marine habitats (BlueC) and the conservation of emblematic species (SturNet) illustrates the relevance of integrated strategies to reinforce environmental action in the Black Sea region.

Through these synergies, SturNet seeks to play a catalytic role, connecting initiatives and consolidating a community of committed actors working together to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of the Black Sea and the species that depend on them.