The congress was organized by the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the support of the Russian Academy of Sciences and auspices of the Government of the Rostov Region. The event dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian oceanographer and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Gennadievich Matishov (1966–2015) was held from June 16 to 19 in Rostov-on-Don.
The congress was attended by more than 300 representatives of the country's leading academic institutions, government officials, and business representatives from various regions. RANIMI, FSBSI was represented by its Acting Director A. A. Glukhov.
At the plenary session, reports were delivered by the President of RAS Gennady Yakovlevich Krasnikov, Governor of Rostov Region Yuri Borisovich Slyusar, representatives of federal and regional government agencies, RAS members from the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts, Heads of leading universities of the South of Russia, Directors of research institutions of the Southern macroregion, including the historical territories, and as well representatives of public organizations.
Within the frameworks of the three-days congress program, breakout sessions addressed key challenges and topical issues of the region. These included water resource shortages, fish stocks preservation and restoration, agro-industrial complex development under the climate aridization conditions, Azov Sea eutrophication, issues of recreational development of the territories, conducting scientific research under the conditions of sanction limitations, and as well a number of tasks associated with the restoration and development of the new territories after the military actions termination.
As well within the Session of the Coordinating Council of the Southern Association of Scientific Organizations under the scientific and methodological guidance of the Russian Academy of Sciences a roundtable meeting "The Southern Vector of National Security in the Context of Geopolitical and Climate Challenges." The roundtable meeting inter alia addressed the environmental safety of coal basins of the South of Russia. The key factors of the environmental and social risks associated with the multiple undermining of the Donbas cities and settlements were discussed.
