Anastasiya Laznya

Hey! My name is Anastasiya, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Young Ambassadors Program. As a Ukrainian national and a marine scientist, I am proud to have a chance to contribute to Black Sea conservation and development.

I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) investigating marine ecosystem resilience in the Black Sea. As part of the BRIDGE-Black Sea project, I conduct holistic resilience assessments, focusing on human-made effects in data-poor cases. Before starting as a Ph.D. candidate, I worked with marine ecosystems in the EU, establishing the nature and extent of human activities in marine protected areas (MPAs).

I am a graduate of the interdisciplinary Masters in Marine Biological Resources, specializing in global ocean changes, and I hold a BSc in Ecology and Conservation from Kyiv Mohyla Academy. During my Bachelor’s degree, I studied the Northern Black Sea ecosystem along with its characteristics and bio-economic challenges, with a research focus on developing green businesses in the region.

My professional interests include science communication and outreach, conservation governance, and policy.

What makes me connect to the Black Sea?
Growing up next to the Black Sea and rivers feeding into its basin awoke a passion for aquatic wildlife and their associated ecosystems at an early age and was integral in my decision to pursue a career in ocean science.

The Related Blue Economy Sector
Marine fisheries, aquaculture, and living resources

My Keywords
#EcosystemResilience, #Conservation, #MarineGovernance, #MarineProtectedAreas