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Activities of HELCOM in assessing the Baltic Sea

Activities of HELCOM in assessing the Baltic Sea. Maria Laamanen, HELCOM Professional Secretary Workshop in support of the UN Regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment 27 June 2012, Brussels, Belgium.

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Activities of HELCOM in assessing the Baltic Sea

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  1. Activities of HELCOM in assessing the Baltic Sea Maria Laamanen, HELCOM Professional Secretary Workshop in support of the UN Regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment 27 June 2012, Brussels, Belgium

  2. Helsinki Commission (HELCOM): bridging science and policy • Governing body of Helsinki Convention (1974, 1992) • 10 Contracting Parties: • Denmark • Estonia • European Community • Finland • Germany • Latvia • Lithuania • Poland • Russia • Sweden • Observers: • Belarus • Ukraine • Various organisations • HELCOM Secretariat assists and facilitates

  3. What’s in the Baltic Sea for us? Monetary value of the Baltic Sea: >5 000 000 000 Euro/year ? Source: What’s in the Sea for me? Swedish EPA, 2009

  4. Ecosystem approach for the Baltic: HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan • Adopted in 2007 at the Ministerial level • Ecosystem-based approach to management of human activities • Ecological goals and objectives • Measures and actions for: • Eutrophication • Hazardous substances • Maritime activities • Biodiversity and nature conservation • National Implementation Programmes • Specific section addressing development of assessment tools and methodologies

  5. Based on data from HELCOM’s coordinated monitoring programmes • Use of indicator-based assessment tools

  6. HELCOM Initial Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea 2003-2007 Overview of the ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea in 2003-2007 Status, anthropogenic pressures and economic analysis Baseline for assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of the measures of the HELCOM BSAP – How far are we from reaching good environmental status?

  7. Ecosystem health status of the entire sea was impaired in 2003-2007 • Based on biological and chemical status indicators • In all sub-basins the status was classified as being impaired, i.e. moderate, poor or bad • The poor status of the Baltic Sea Proper is due to eutrophication, contamination with hazardous substances and decline of biodiversity • Gulf of Bothnia is the sub-basin with the least impoverished status

  8. What are the pressures on the marine environment? • Analysis of anthropogenic pressures : 52 data layers, here just a few examples... • A single activity may result in many pressures Airborne nitrogen deposition Bottom trawling Shipping intensity Underwater noise

  9. Baltic Sea Pressure IndexSpatial distribution of the sum of human-induced pressures • For each 5x5 km square of the sea, pressures taking place in that area were summed up • Human activities put a pressure on the entire sea area with the least pressure in the northern areas and the most in the eastern, southeastern and southern areas

  10. Secchi (m) Chlorophyll a (µg L-1) What is the status? – Eutrophication

  11. Eutrophication: Development of the nutrient inputs • Overall decline of nitrogen and phosphorus loads since the early 1990s • The BSAP targets have not been reached for either of the nutrients

  12. Socio-economic knowledge

  13. Costs and benefits of reaching the BSAP targets for eutrophication

  14. What is the status?– Biodiversity and nature conservation Biodiversity status

  15. Assessment of the ecological coherence of the network of protected areas • Over 10% of the Baltic Sea marine area is protected area • Ecological coherence not reached yet

  16. What is the status?–Hazardous substances of white tail eagles

  17. How do we do it?Monitoring activities Monitoring and assessment Strategy (2005) Data and Information Strategy (2005) Monitoring programmes: COMBINE programme Pollution Load Compilations Monitoring of Radioactive substances (MORS) FISH-PRO monitoring of coastal fish Seal expert group’s activities on monitoring of seals

  18. How do we do it?Indicators HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheets: Descriptive, i.e., no targets Updated annually, about 35 sheets Available at: http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP_assessment/ifs/ifs2011/ Development of the core set of indicators (2010-2013) With targets, to assess progress towards good environmental status Quantitative State and pressures In 2013 web site and after 2013 operationalisation

  19. How do we do it?Assessment tools To integrate the indicator information To enable status classification (bad – high status) Status assessment tools, including confidence assessment, available for: Eutrophication assessment – HEAT Assessment of hazardous substances pollution – CHASE Pilot tool for biodiversity assessment – BEAT Ecosystem health status - HOLAS Pressures from human activities assessed using the Baltic Sea Pressure Index and Impact Index

  20. Thank you! www.helcom.fi For publications: http://www.helcom.fi/publications/en_GB/publications/

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