Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

 

Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

Save the Baltic Sea: A 6,000 km hike with a call to protect the Baltic


(Save the Baltic Sea campaign press release)
A team of environmental activists will begin their hike around the Baltic Sea, with a series of educational events, discussions and workshops organized in 8 countries, aiming to accelerate action in tackling critical Baltic Sea pollution issues.


March 11, 2024 will mark the date when a team of 13 environmental activists will depart from Klaipėda, Lithuania, to begin their 6,000 kilometer-long journey on foot along the coastline of the Baltic Sea, one of the five most polluted seas in the world. During their 9 month hike, the historic “Save the Baltic Sea” expedition will invite citizens, governments, organizations and businesses to take active measures in order to preserve the sea for future generations.


“The Baltic Sea is in a critical state, which puts the benefits it provides to our region in danger,” says the expedition’s science engagement coordinator Laura Stukonytė. “Unsustainable human activities have put our marine ecosystems under extreme pressure, from excessive nitrogen and phosphorus inflow, to marine litter and hazardous substances reaching the sea from land. At the same time, the Baltic is also being affected by climate change” she adds.


In 2007, the Baltic Sea countries and the European Union (that together form the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, or HELCOM) adopted the Baltic Sea Action Plan – a strategic programme of measures and actions that would lead to a healthy Baltic Sea state by 2030. While some environmental improvements have been seen since the adoption of the plan, HELCOM reports that more than 50% of the agreed-upon joint actions have yet to be implemented.


In support of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the “Save the Baltic Sea” expedition seeks to accelerate these actions in order to tackle our region’s marine pollution issues. “Each of us living in the Baltic Sea basin contributes to the state of our marine environment, often without even knowing. But it means each of us also has the power to make a change,” says Giedrius Bučas, “Save the Baltic Sea” expedition leader who hiked 1200 kilometers around Lithuania in 2019, collecting litter with a team of volunteers.


Through its unique communication campaign, educational activities and workshops organized with partners in 8 Baltic Sea countries, the current expedition will highlight marine pollution issues, showcase existing innovations and best practices, and inform citizens about actions they can take to reduce their negative impact.


“While our hiker team will dedicate the next 9 months of their lives for this mission, we also welcome everyone to join our events and hike with us in sections of the route, which can be seen on our website at www.savebaltic.eu,” says Bučas.


On March 11, the team of hikers and the expedition’s supporters will officially begin the hike. This first leg will start from Smiltynė – the Northernmost point of the Lithuanian Curonian spit. More information about this and other public events can be found on the expedition’s website and social media channels.

Support the “Save the Baltic Sea” expedition by donating here: https://savebaltic.eu/support/

Contact

info@savebaltic.eu

Proud past, promising future – join the HELCOM 50th anniversary celebrations online on 25 April

Save the date! We are happy to invite the entire extended HELCOM family to join online the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Helsinki Convention and HELCOM. Latvia, currently holding the Chairmanship of HELCOM, will host the celebration event on 25 April 2024 in Riga, starting at 14:00 (CET), with many special guests.

Ministers of the Environment of Latvia and Finland, Inga Bērziņa and Kai Mykkänen, will open the event.

An impressive list of keynote speakers, representing major stakeholder organizations, will also honour the celebrations with their presence. The names of the representatives will be announced soon – stay tuned!

The 50th anniversary celebrations will be preceded by the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting of the Contracting Parties in the morning of 25 April 2024, and a side event organized by Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF, Waves of Change – Accelerating action and finance to save the Baltic Sea, will take place in Riga the day before.

The guests invited en site include representatives of the HELCOM Contracting Parties, observers and other friends of HELCOM past and present. The special programme reflects the achievements of the first 50 years of HELCOM while looking forward to future challenges. Please find the preliminary programme on the dedicated web page.


In 2024, it will be 50 years since the original Helsinki Convention was signed.

HELCOM, or the Helsinki Commission, was established at the same time, for the purposes of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area – in essence, to ensure that all the coastal states pursue the many commitments presented for a healthier Baltic Sea. It was a historical moment, as environmental concerns were only starting to shift closer to the mainstream thinking.

HELCOM is a true pioneer in international environment protection. As the awareness of the massive challenges, particularly climate crisis and biodiversity loss, has since significantly risen, we have much to share about cooperation through changing geopolitical situations.

Join us for a full year of celebrations! We are proud to have come this far.

Nefco: The Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund grants EUR 1 million to 10 new projects to improve the health of the Baltic Sea

Many of the new projects funded by the Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund (BSAP Fund) have a special focus on marine biodiversity. With Sweden’s latest contribution of SEK 4.5 million, the BSAP Fund continues to support the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

Total funding from the latest BSAP Fund call for proposals amounts to EUR 1 million, which will be distributed to 10 approved projects in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Poland. The new projects focus on forestry, nutrient discharge, hazardous substances and sea-based activities. The majority of the new projects, six out of ten, will contribute positively to biodiversity.


Read the full Nefco news article

HELCOM to collaborate with the Save the Baltic Sea campaign

Save the Baltic Sea is a hiking expedition and an environmental campaign around the Baltic Sea covering eight countries, taking place in 2024. The main organizer is a Lithuanian NGO Už švarią Lietuvą (“For a clean Lithuania”). HELCOM will be one of the official partners in the campaign, along with the EU4Ocean Platform, the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania and a network of scientific institutes and non-governmental organizations from the eight countries.

The purpose of the expedition is to further improve marine conservation culture in the Baltic Sea countries, inform citizens about the state of our marine ecosystems, and bring together local communities and stakeholders to break down barriers in halting marine pollution.

During the expedition, a team of activists will hike almost 6000 kilometers around the Baltic Sea in 9 months. In each of the countries the team will cross, they will gather local communities and stakeholders for ocean literacy activities and living labs – collaborative workshops that will aim to catalyze collective action in mitigating pollution in the Baltic Sea.

The campaign aims are aligned with HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan, especially HT27: “Increase knowledge exchange and awareness raising to promote public and stakeholder support and interest in understanding the state of the Baltic Sea and threats to its environment as well as promote opportunities for the general public to participate in citizen science” and HL7: “Launch educational and information campaigns by 2025 to raise public awareness regarding responsible handling of hazardous substances in household chemicals and articles to prevent their release into the environment.”

The expedition will set off in March 2024 from Lithuania. More information about the campaign and related activities can be found here: https://savebaltic.eu/

Contact

Johanna Laurila
HELCOM Communication Advisor
johanna.laurila@helcom.fi, +358 40 6473996


Laura Stukonytė
Save The Baltic Sea science engagement coordinator
science@savebaltic.eu

New criteria for sustainable aquaculture are a best practice example from HELCOM

HELCOM has officially unveiled the comprehensive Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) for sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region, marking the culmination of extensive and constructive efforts. Helsinki Convention, governed by HELCOM, is the first Regional Seas Convention in Europe that has such specific guidance on aquaculture and can be regarded as a best practice example.

The HELCOM Contracting Parties have officially unveiled the comprehensive Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) for sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region, marking the culmination of extensive and constructive efforts.”

The balance between protection of the highly sensitive and strained Baltic Sea marine environment and the needs of the growing aquaculture sector was challenging to negotiate, but the successful and ambitious BAT/BEP descriptions give thorough and concrete guidance for both marine and freshwater aquaculture.

The pioneering BAT/BEP document is highly detailed, and it covers a wide range of issues, from inputs of nutrients and hazardous substances to marine litter, non-indigenous species and escapees, underwater noise, sustainable feed and feeding practices, as well as permits, monitoring and staff training. For instance, aquaculture can be a source of hazardous substance inputs through veterinary medicinal products, antifouling coatings, and cleaning and disinfection products. Concerning nutrient inputs, the key reason for eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, BAT/BEP descriptions recommend to set discharge limits that take account of the nutrient reduction scheme of HELCOM and the goals of the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

A regular reporting process aims to secure that HELCOM Contracting Parties apply the guidelines in their aquaculture operations.

The new BAT/BEP descriptions help to ensure that the growing aquaculture sector develops sustainably in the Baltic Sea.

BAT/BEP descriptions of sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region

Contact

Johanna Laurila

Communication Advisor, HELCOM

+358 40 6473996

Survey on expanded plastics (EPS/XPS) from buoys, floats or docks, including pontoons

Please take a moment to answer this survey by 1 June 2023, especially if you represent the plastic industry, environmental protection agencies and/or the fisheries sector.

The answers will help develop buoys, floats and docks, which do not release expanded polystyrene (EPS) and other problematic materials to the marine environment, as a part of implementing the HELCOM Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter.

The completion of the survey will take ca 20-30 minutes.

Thank you for your contribution!

Improving HOLAS 3 advocacy: please answer to a short survey by 28 February 2023

HELCOM Secretariat wants to be more targeted and effective in advocating the forthcoming Third holistic assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3), by collecting information on different key target groups.

HELCOM prepares holistic assessments of the state of the Baltic Sea at regular intervals, to track progress on the effectiveness of measures and actions, created to improve the state of the sea.

📌 Please answer to this online survey to give your input: https://lnkd.in/dmNc6p2U

📌 Answering the survey will take 2-3 minutes. Please provide your replies by 28 February 2023.

📌 Feel free to share the survey extensively with your colleagues or any relevant networks.

Help us improve the protection of the Baltic marine environment! 
We appreciate your help very much.

Contact

Mock Employee
Johanna Laurila

Communications Advisor
johanna.laurila@helcom.fi
+358 647 3996

New results on improving the state of the Baltic Sea are tailored for both knowledge-gap and policy needs

HELCOM BLUES Project had its Final Conference online last week and the memo, as well as all presentations and the recording of the Conference, can be now accessed at the project site.

Recording of the BLUES Final Conference

New results regarding Baltic Sea biodiversity, marine litter and underwater noise, as well as effective regional measures addressing various pressures affecting the sea, were presented, including key messages for both science and policy makers. Few new HELCOM indicators have been created within the Project, as well as further developing the existing ones.

Most parts of the project have been designed so that they can be utilized straight by the forthcoming HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3). The work also closely links to other processes related to good environmental status (GES) in the Baltic Sea, such as the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD) and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).

Good environmental status, or GES, and a Baltic Sea in a healthy state has been at the core of the BLUES project. “GES is has become a buzzword, but it is important to remember that underpinning the work to reach good status of the environment as part of various policies, is the reality that our society is part of the environment. GES is not external to our own existence and wellbeing but something that has a direct effect on us”, reminded the manager of the project, Jannica Haldin, in her remarks at the end of the Conference.

BLUES Final Conference web page

Save the date: Baltic Stakeholder Conference on 9 March 2023 – Think outside the box!

Implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), aiming for a healthy Baltic Sea, is a demanding – but feasible – task. We need all sectors on board in reaching each one of the ambitious targets, which cover a very wide range of topics.

The Baltic Stakeholder Conference 2023 aims to speed up the work and send an emphatic call for action. We want to harvest all the best ideas from the stakeholders around the sea – and beyond – for accelerating implementation and finding solutions for both long-standing and emerging challenges, in sharing the most amazing examples and in inspiring others.

We need to think outside the box and get creative!

Save the date: 9 March 2023

Registration will open in January 2023

Dumped munitions are on the (round)table in Kiel

News release by CBSS and HELCOM

Experts met in Kiel to advance on the issue of dumped munitions submerged in the Baltic Sea

To tackle the explosive issue of dumped munitions in the waters of the Baltic Sea, about 40 leading experts from the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) met at a roundtable event in Kiel, Germany from 12 to 13 December 2022.

The objectives of the roundtable were to establish a common understanding and initiate a multi-disciplinary and BSR-wide dialogue on dumped munitions, including the best options for remedial and removal of what has now become a ticking timebomb.

After the Second World War, around 40,000 tonnes of chemical munitions were discarded in designated dumping areas in the Baltic Sea. An unknown quantity was also disposed of on the way to the dumping sites, making it difficult to pinpoint exact locations.

In addition, an unknown but large amount of conventional ammunition and unexploded ordnance (UXO) such as bombs and mines also lie on the Baltic’s seabed. Experts estimate that about 300,000 tonnes of conventional munitions remain in German marine waters alone. In general, dumped munitions and UXO can be found in the waters of all Baltic Sea countries.

Uncertainties prevail about the state of corrosion of the containers of the warfare material, as some have now been submerged for over 75 years. Of the chemical munitions, it is estimated that the majority contain highly toxic mustard gas agents.

The issue of dumped munitions is one of the priorities under the current German Presidency of the CBSS.  It was also a priority under the German Chairmanship of HELCOM (2020-2022), and also features in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).

Co-organised by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein, and the European Union and the Contracting Parties to HELCOM that are Member States of the European Union, the roundtable was attended by leading experts in policy-making, environmental protection, civil protection, large-scale project management and financing.

Dumped munitions and UXO pose a threat to all Baltic Sea countries and users of the sea, not only endangering human health and the marine ecosystem but also putting at risk shipping and fisheries, among other maritime activities.

As active removal of hazardous underwater objects is complex and expensive, and carries a certain risk of accidents, the default decision of many national authorities has been to leave the material on the seabed. However, there is now a growing consensus about the fact that remediation will eventually be inevitable, and that action needs to be taken now.