Anthropogenic Impacts on the Black Sea Coastal Delta Ecosystems

Natural freshwater ecosystems of river deltas are the most biologically diverse and, at the same time, highly vulnerable to anthropogenic and technogenic impacts. This paper examines the current processes of catastrophic anthropogenic destruction of the Dniester and Danube delta ecosystems in the northern Black Sea region, using grey geese and other wetland birds as representative examples of the local fauna. An ecological assessment has been carried out of the anthropogenic impacts most destructive to the natural environment: large-scale hunting of wetland birds in the Black Sea coastal region between 1974 - 2011 and the water regulation activities of a large hydroelectric power station (HPS) dam on the Dniester River between 1983 and 2014. The book describes the catastrophic consequences of human exploitation of the natural resources of the Black Sea coastal region’s river deltas and provides recommendations for the protection of the natural environment in southern Ukraine. The book is intended for students and lecturers at biological and environmental institutes, as well as for officials from the ministries of the environment and forestry, HPP technocrats, hunters, and those responsible for managing the water, energy and living natural resources of the Black Sea region.