At the heart of BioProtect is the belief that local knowledge and stories are essential to restoring and protecting marine biodiversity.
In December, the Municipal Institution “Grant Office Odessa 5T” made important progress in the project “Restoration of Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience in the Odessa Region through Innovative Solutions” by focusing on creating local stories about the region’s rich biodiversity. These stories will play a key role in guiding future environmental initiatives and decisions in Odessa.
On 5 and 10 December, the project team held two online meetings with Wojtek Szpociński, the lead consultant and Chairman of the Development Policy Foundation. These were followed by an in-person meeting in Odessa on 15 December, which helped to build on earlier discussions and fine-tune the project’s priorities.
The meetings centred on how donors envision these local stories unfolding: what they should include, the best ways to tell them, and how to combine strong scientific facts with engaging, easy-to-understand storytelling. The goal is for these stories to go beyond simple descriptions and truly capture the special natural features, landscapes, and communities that make Odessa unique.
A key part of this work involved using the BioProtect PPGIS Analyser, an innovative tool that gathers and maps local knowledge through participatory geographic information systems. By inviting community members to share their experiences and observations of Odessa’s marine environment, the project team was able to visualise important ecological and cultural hotspots. This approach not only enriches scientific data but also ensures that the voices of those who live closest to these ecosystems directly inform research and decision-making. The PPGIS Analyser helps bridge the gap between local insights and technical analysis, making the biodiversity stories more grounded, relevant, and actionable.
By blending local knowledge with scientific research, the project aims to create stories that inspire and inform policymakers and the public alike, helping protect Odessa’s marine environment now and for the future.
