The Black Sea has suffered a tragic decline in the last thirty years. A conversation about the environment with almost anyone who has been living by the Black Sea or regularly visiting it for four or five decades will inevitably reach this conclusion. Each person from their own perspective, whether they are talking about fisheries, the state of beaches, the colour of the sea, its smell, the state of the economy, tourism or the coastal landscape, the conclusions are usually the same: something...
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The Black Sea has suffered a tragic decline in the last thirty years. A conversation about the environment with almost anyone who has been living by the Black Sea or regularly visiting it for four or five decades will inevitably reach this conclusion. Each person from their own perspective, whether they are talking about fisheries, the state of beaches, the colour of the sea, its smell, the state of the economy, tourism or the coastal landscape, the conclusions are usually the same: something has gone badly wrong. The most significant process degrading the Black Sea has been the massive over-fertilisation of the sea by compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, largely as a result of agricultural, domestic and industrial sources; Another problem of major general concern is the discharge of insufficiently treated sewage, which results in the presence of microbiological contaminants. Such discharges constitute a threat to public health and in some cases pose a barrier to the development of sustainable tourism and aquaculture. Oil pollution continues to threaten Black Sea coastal ecosystems. Oil enters the environment as a result of accidental and operational discharges from vessels, as well as through land based sources. This reportage looks at the Turkish Black Sea Coast. Text for this story is available by writer Gunnar Koehne : mail@gunnarkoehne.com
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