On sunny day of September 24, National Nature Park “Biloberezhya Svyatoslava” (Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine of NASU), Kinburn split, Mykolaiv Oblast became an unique location for the International Black Sea Clean Beach Day. This park is the most preserved in natural state coastal nature park, which is also an Emerald Site Network and Important Bird and Biodiversity Area as far as thousands of birds, including White pelicans live there or use this site for migration. The Park is crucial for wintering White-tailed Eagle aggregations. The area has around 20 km of coast with the Black Sea and 20 km coast of the mixture of marine and river water (Dnipro-Bug Lagoon).3Around 140 people including more than 50 children from different schools of Kyiv, Odesa, Ochakov and Vasylyvka (Kinburn split), the experts from Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea, Institute of Marine Biology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife Ukraine), National Nature Park “Biloberezhya Svyatoslava”, Mykolaiv regional authorities, National Environmental Agency of Georgia and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)  got involved with the Sea and its problems and inhabitats in that day.6The events included

  • Search for the environmental sentinels – Black Sea inhabitants (algae, shell fish, fish), which represent the good status of the Black Sea (for the brochure please read here – in Russian, in Ukrainian);

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  • Collection of marine litter and filling out of marine litter protocols;

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  • Fish stocking (3,000 carps to be settled in the marshes of Kinburn split to ensure more food for the birds in spring (when carps will be spawning) and reduce in this way the load at marine inhabitants);

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  • Excursion by unique sandy dunes, salty lakes and sub-tropical jungles (sagas).

It is worth to say that prior the action, around 120 m3 of waste were removed from the area of the national nature park and 80 m3 will be removed to close the illegal dumpsite and restore the relevant area.

The event although was over packed by the events, brought a lot of joy and happiness for both children and scientists. Scientists could share in practice their knowledge and children could finally talk with the Sea / understand it better by the signs at the coastal line.