IASON+
Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Contextual Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas — unites the efforts of six Project Partners from five Black Sea countries: Romania, Ukraine, Greece, Türkiye and Georgia.
About the project
IASON+ — Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Contextual Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas — unites the efforts of six Project Partners from five Black Sea countries: Romania, Ukraine, Greece, Türkiye and Georgia.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-B Next Black Sea Basin Programme, under the priority Clean and Green Region. IASON+ continues and further develops the work initiated by the previous IASON project, focusing on the monitoring and assessment of Invasive Alien Species in Black Sea deltaic protected areas.
Under a changing global environment, the Black Sea region is increasingly affected by climate change, habitat degradation, land-use pressures and the introduction and spread of alien species. River deltas and coastal wetlands are especially vulnerable, as they host valuable biodiversity while also supporting important socio-economic activities such as fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, tourism and recreation
IASON+ places Invasive Alien Species monitoring within a broader framework that also considers Ecosystem Services and climate resilience. The project aims to assess how IAS influence the benefits provided by deltaic ecosystems and how these ecosystems may respond under current and predicted climatic conditions.
The project focuses on five important Black Sea deltaic and wetland areas: the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine, the Nestos Delta and Lake Vistonida in Greece, the Kızılırmak Delta in Türkiye, and the Chorokhi Delta and Kolkheti National Park in Georgia.
Joint monitoring actions on IAS in Black Sea deltaic ecosystems under predicted climatic conditions.
Overall objective
The overall objective of IASON+ is to continue and strengthen joint cross-border actions for the monitoring of Invasive Alien Species in Black Sea deltaic ecosystems, to assess their influence on Ecosystem Services, and to evaluate ecosystem resilience under current and predicted climatic conditions.
Through common monitoring procedures, data sharing, risk assessment, innovative technologies and stakeholder involvement, the project aims to support climate change adaptation and improve the management of protected deltaic ecosystems in the Black Sea Basin.
Specific objectives
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Develop and implement joint monitoring and risk assessment procedures
Motivate and assist countries in creating their IAS inventories, and develop common data inventories and assessment results at a cross-border level.
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Develop, continue and implement common procedures for monitoring and risk assessment of Invasive Alien Species in Black Sea deltaic protected areas.
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Support participating countries in creating, updating and harmonising IAS inventories and common data systems at cross-border level.
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Assess the influence of Invasive Alien Species on Ecosystem Services in deltaic ecosystems of the Black Sea Basin.
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Improve long-term cross-border collaboration, information exchange and research capacity among project partners and relevant institutions.
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Use innovative technologies, modelling approaches and ICT tools to support IAS monitoring, data access, visualization and use of project results.
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Strengthen cooperation on IAS and Ecosystem Services management through the involvement of stakeholders, public authorities, local communities and protected area managers.
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Foster public awareness, knowledge exchange and coordinated action to address current and future IAS threats in the Black Sea Basin.
Explore the first version of the IASON platform
Access the initial release of the IASON project platform and discover the first implementation, core features and early project information developed during the original phase of the initiative.