The Black Sea remains one of the most fragile marine systems globally. The six countries that share the coastline of this semi-enclosed sea have declared, through the Convention on Biological Diversity and regional conventions, their intention to conserve biodiversity and increase the coverage of the protected areas. However, currently only a small proportion of the marine area is under protection. Here, we spatially delineated priority conservation sites that could ensure species protection under the impact of different threats. We developed a cumulative risk index, incorporating anthropogenic pressures related to pollution and fisheries. We then combined this information with distribution data of marine species to apply a systematic conservation planning approach. We identified eleven key areas that cover 10% of the Black Sea, the protection of which could attain realistic conservation targets. These sites are mainly located in neritic and coastal habitats, which also host a number of species that avoid the anoxic part of the ocean basin. The management and efficient protection of these key areas require international collaboration, representing the only way to alleviate the severe degradation of this sensitive, but valuable, marine system.

黑海仍然是全球最脆弱的海洋系统之一。共享这片半封闭海域海岸线的六个国家已通过《生物多样性公约》和区域公约宣布有意保护生物多样性并扩大保护区的覆盖范围。然而，目前只有一小部分海域受到保护。在这里，我们在空间上划定了优先保护地点，以确保在不同威胁的影响下保护物种。我们制定了一个累积风险指数，纳入了与污染和渔业相关的人为压力。然后，我们将这些信息与海洋物种的分布数据相结合，以应用系统的保护规划方法。我们确定了覆盖黑海 10% 的 11 个关键区域，其保护可以达到现实的保护目标。这些地点主要位于浅海和沿海栖息地，这些栖息地还栖息着许多避开海洋盆地缺氧部分的物种。这些关键区域的管理和有效保护需要国际合作，这是缓解这一敏感但有价值的海洋系统严重退化的唯一途径。