MoreAdaptBSB
Less vulnerability, more adaptability
BSB00479 · Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin 2021–2027 · Less vulnerability, more adaptability — pilot restoration of green areas in coastal and urban zones through remote sensing in the Black Sea region
Via Pontica Foundation’s role
Partner and Activity 1.1 leader
Duration
30 months · 07.2024 – 01.2027
Status
Ongoing
Total budget
1 594 728,00 €
EU funding
1 435 255,20 € (90%)
Partners
6 organisations from 4 countries
The challenge
The Black Sea region faces coastal erosion, landslides, sea-level rise, floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and new plant diseases and pests all at once. One figure shows the scale: 19% of the Black Sea coast, around 800 kilometres, is eroding by more than one metre a year.
The technology for a timely response already exists. Satellite mapping, remote sensing, data analysis and small sensors make it possible to gather geospatial information in real time. What is missing is the link between that data and the actual decision at municipal level — which area to restore first, with which species and to what effect. Adaptation measures remain weak locally, and access to such methods usually runs through academic institutions.
By definition, climate change cannot be tackled by one country or one region alone.
What the project does
A web tool for vulnerability assessment. Freely accessible and developed jointly by the four countries, it visualises the different categories of vulnerability of urban and coastal areas to climate change. It covers the entire programme area in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine — 243,452 square kilometres. The model draws on climate data and imagery going back 10 to 20 years, over which future climate scenarios are layered.
An adaptation plan and a catalogue of measures based on nature-based solutions that local authorities can apply.
At least 6 hectares of green areas restored across four pilot sites — Kassandra (Greece), Primorsko (Bulgaria), Constanța (Romania) and Odesa (Ukraine), between 2 and 4 hectares each, in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus.
Three knowledge exchange groups in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, plus one Living Lab in Kassandra, where all partners and representatives of the target groups plant trees together.
Four story maps (one per pilot site) and a video featuring the participants.
Via Pontica’s role
Via Pontica leads Activity 1.1 — the most technical part of the project. We coordinate the joint development of the remote sensing methodology and are responsible for building the web tool. The other partners collect the data for their countries and pass it to us for final processing, after which they verify the results in the field.
Via Pontica also coordinates the results-oriented adaptation plan under Activity 1.2, including the guide of restoration measures matched to the potential of each territory. The foundation is a member of the project’s Coordination Board.
We presented the methodology to partners and external experts at the Knowledge Exchange Group meeting in Polygyros in May 2025.
The Primorsko pilot site
Primorsko was chosen for its clear exposure to drought, marine erosion and flooding from heavy rainfall. The Municipality of Primorsko is a project partner and coordinator of the site.
The work does not start with excavators. First comes a vulnerability analysis using satellite imagery, drones and geospatial analysis, including a drone survey in the field with representatives from the other countries taking part. Only on that basis is the specific site chosen and the intervention plan drawn up.
The physical measures include planting resilient species, green buffers against erosion, pedestrian and recreational areas, and restoring the water-retention capacity of the soil. The aim is to turn abandoned or degraded land into an accessible green space connected to the rest of the urban fabric — a place to meet and rest, not just a planted plot.
Once restoration is complete, each pilot site hosts a public event introducing the new space to the people who will use it.
Round table in Burgas · 2 April 2026
Video from the event
Partnership
| Organisation | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ovidius University, Constanța | Romania | Lead partner; coordinator of the Constanța pilot site |
| Chalkidiki Chamber of Commerce (EPICHAL) | Greece | Project communication manager |
| Municipality of Kassandra | Greece | Activity 1.2 leader; host of the Living Lab |
| Via Pontica Foundation | Bulgaria | Activity 1.1 leader; web tool and adaptation plan |
| Municipality of Primorsko | Bulgaria | Coordinator of the Primorsko pilot site |
| Odesa State Agrarian University | Ukraine | Soil research; coordinator of the Odesa site |
Project channels: Facebook and LinkedIn — MoreAdapt BSB Project.
The project is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin 2021–2027 Programme.