GYSD 2014 and Dolphin watch project by Svitlana Buko

Hi everyone!

We had quite a busy month with FLEX GYSD matching grants, and that is why it's been a long time since I've shared something about GYSD 2014 with you. Right now I am very excited to announce that this year we have 16 FLEX GYSD matching grant winners from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine! Kyrgyzstan is leading in the number of granted projects this year again - FLEX alumni over there are doing 6 projects. Way to go, guys!

The projects they are working on are amazing and very exciting! Starting from today I will tell you more about them and will keep you updated on how the projects are going.

Today I want to share with you the project from Svitlana Buko, FLEX'96 alumna from Ukraine. It's already her second GYSD project (you can read about her last year's amazing beach clean-up in Sevastopol here and here). This year she is organizing "Dolphin Watch and Eco Kayaking" project. Here is what she says about it: 

"Project aims to change perceptions of people who live on the coast of the Black sea, improve their understanding of Nature, share unique aspects of local life by meeting Dolphins. The key goal of the project is to help NGOs, Educational institutions, Research Institutions focus on Black Sea research, Sea Sport Associations and businesses to get together, share experiences, promote eco awareness, build appreciation of living on the coast and caring about the coast via Dolphin watch, clean beaches and contribute to better, cleaner, more aware of coastal ecology Crimea.

Last year before beach clean up with GYSD2013 grant Clean Beach my lead team and I made an assessment trip to the beach, checked out location after winter and estimated trash.

This year the project is even more complex and detailed preparation is essential. Volunteers will be taken for a practical coastal assessment trip to Inshir national reserve. This area is abundant with flora, fauna and rich cultural history. I plan to divide the team into 3 parts: 1 kayak group, 1 boat group and 1 hiker group. All members will have opportunities to witness Black sea dolphins, will do beach cleanup and will take part in 3 beach workshops on ecotourism, marine debris impact on the nature and dolphin watch. 

Assessment trip (hike) to the beach was conducted by the lead team of the project 3 weeks before the start of the project. We checked the beach terrain in order to evaluate trash volumes, estimate time and complexity of the hike. Onsite evaluation of the landscape also helped prepare for plan B (in case of unpredictable weather conditions such as wind, storm, rain)."

The project has only begun, but it does sound so amazing! Thank you, Svitlana for an amazing update and all the hard work that you are doing! We are really looking forward for GYSD weekend to hear more about your project! Also, check out the video about Svitlana's last year project:

If any of you (not even FLEX GYSD matching grant winners!!!) want to share any updates about your project or you want to announce your project so everyone could see it, please, email me, and I would love to do a post about it!