3.B.2.1 Protection of endangered species and their habitats

Recent widespread changes in the biological diversity (biodiversity) of life in the Black Sea are largely due to effects of human activities. Loss or imminent loss of endangered species which have ecological and/or economic value for the Black Sea ecosystem, degradation of coastal wetlands, loss of habitats and communities, degradation of landscape are the most common examples of the response of the Black Sea ecosystem to the man activities. Species listed in tables 3.B.2.1.x below are mainly keystone species, and are at the center of communities which are highly characteristic of the local environment, and include threatened endemic as well as relict species. Those communities have dramatically decreased due to the eutrophication caused by inflow of untreated sewage from point and non point sources and otherwise polluted rivers, hypoxia caused by eutrophication, increased turbidity, inter alia due to use of various type of bottom gear, toxic pollution, over-harvesting, destruction of breeding grounds.

Loss or iminent loss of endangerd species in the Black Sea and its wetlands
3.B.2.1.a Bottom plant community	3.B.2.1.b Mollusks
3.B.2.1.c Bottom crustaceans	3.B.2.1.d Fishes
3.B.2.1.e Wetland communities	3.B.2.1.f Marine mammals

All group of species listed in the tables 3.B.2.1.x were selected because of there ecological and/or economic value for the Black Sea ecosystem. They include plants which are mainly keystone species, and are at the center of communities which are highly characteristic of the local environment, and include threatened endemic as well as relict species. By protecting those, it is expected that many others will also become protected, including by the creation or improvement of a number of protected areas, specified in section 3.B.3. As reference against which to evaluate present population sizes, we used the population sizes for the 1960s.

	3.B.2.1.a	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (bottom plant community)
	3.B.2.1.b	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (mollusks)
	3.B.2.1.c	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (bottom crustaceans)
	3.B.2.1.d	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (fishes)
	3.B.2.1.e	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (wetland communities)
	3.B.2.1.f	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species (marine mammals)
	2.B.2	Loss or imminent loss of endangered species in the Black Sea and its wetlands
	2.B.2	Black Sea wetlands
	3.B.1	Fisheries Issues
	3.B.3	Conservation Areas Management Analysis