Alice Guittard: Collaboration, Conflict, and the Black Sea | Special Episode

In this special episode, we depart from our usual format and partner with Jan Maisenbacher from the Ocean Collaborations podcast to sit down with Alice Guittard, who has spent the last five years with the Bridge Project focusing on the active management of a transboundary ecosystem: the Black Sea.

The Bridge Black Sea Project was designed to advance knowledge, deliver research, and empower citizens to build a sustainable, climate-neutral blue economy. We explore the massive environmental challenges facing the sea, a marine ecosystem bordered by six nations and fed by the watersheds of more than twenty others. This conversation also examines the realities and logistical hurdles of attempting international scientific collaboration in the middle of an active war. Some topics we cover:

• The Tragedy of the Commons: The inherent risk when a shared resource collapses because individual actors are incentivized to exploit it simultaneously. This requires strict cooperation to prevent ecosystem failure.

• Environmental Casualties of War: The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023 resulted in over fifty deaths, tens of thousands of displaced people, and impacted drinking water for over 700,000 individuals. It also released decades of accumulated agricultural chemicals and heavy metals directly into the sea.

• Data Blind Spots and Scientific Embargos: Severing ties with Russian researchers effectively blinded one-fifth of the Black Sea's monitoring network. We openly weigh the friction between transnational scientific preservation and geopolitical policy decisions.

Special thanks to ⁠Jan Maisenbacher⁠ from the Ocean Collaborations podcast for facilitating this conversation, and thank you to our new co-producer, ⁠Emily Pokou who is helping take the show to new heights. Stay tuned for everymore interesting storytelling.

Projects & Tools Mentioned:

• Bridge Black Sea Project: bridgeblacksea.org

• The Black Sea Digital Twin of Ocean: bridgeblacksea.org/index.php/black-sea-dto

• European Digital Twin of the Ocean: edito.eu

• The Black Sea Blue Economy Observatory: blackseabeo.eu

• BRIDGE-BS Living Labs: bridgeblacksea.org/index.php/living-labs

• The Coalition of cities, regions, islands, and ports for the Mission Ocean and Waters: co-waters.eu/coalition

Organizations & Media:

• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): iucn.org

• Ocean Collaborations Podcast: ⁠Apple Podcasts Link

• A Light in the Black: Keep an eye out for updates on our upcoming documentary. ⁠Trailer and more here⁠.