On the occasion of the Earth Day innovative scientific research and projects on the topic: ECOLOGY OF THE BLACK SEA – FROM THE MOLECULE TO THE ECOSYSTEM were presented on April 21, 2023 in “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Albena Alexandrova and Prof. Nesho Chipev were the main organizers of the scientific event. Scientists from BAS – Institute of Oceanology, Institute of Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, as well as from the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University took part in the presentation on the topic. A number of ecological topics were presented and discussed: the development and globalization of ecology, the potential and advantages of an ecosystem approach in assessing the status of fish stocks in the Bulgarian sector of the Black Sea, the introduction of the new field of “Stress Ecology” in the study of the environmental stressors in the Black Sea in relation to marine biota; modern approaches using DNA analyses to identify contaminants in the Black Sea, green engineering solutions with the potential to solve environmental problems of coastal ecosystem restoration. Particular interest was aroused by the upcoming projects on innovative and unexplored in Bulgaria issues, namely “Microplastics as a current ecological problem of the Black Sea” and “How the ecology of a past is manifested in the present through the complex study of the unique ecotope “Underwater Petrified Forest” in the Sozopol water area. Concrete research results were shown in a special poster session.
Official guests were Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Valchev – Director of the Institute of Oceanology, Assoc. Prof. Ina Aneva – Scientific Secretary of “Biodiversity, Bioresources and Ecology” division and Prof. Denitsa Borisova – Scientific Secretary of “Climate Change, Hazards and Natural Resources” division. Assoc. Prof. Ina Aneva emphasized the great importance of the conducted research and its contribution to the management, conservation and sustainable use of the very vulnerable and unique ecosystem of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. She took the opportunity to especially congratulate the main initiator of the event – Prof. Nesho Chipev for his dedication and in-depth research over the years which is a serious contribution to the enrichment and raising the level of various fields of ecological science. The presentation aroused wide interest and was attended by scientists, students, pupils, representatives of NGOs, interested persons.
