The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Working Group for Environment and Economy (NME) and HELCOM invite you to a webinar on cost-effective marine restoration.
This event will focus on strategies to restore marine ecosystems in the Nordic region, presenting insights from leading environmental organizations in this field.
With growing political focus on marine environments—particularly in light of the new EU regulation on nature restoration—understanding the socio-economic implications and costs of marine restoration measures has become essential.
The recording of the event is now available.
Programme
| Time (CET) | Programme Item | Presenter |
| 09:00-09:05 | Introduction and questionnaire | Moderator: Mikelis Bendiks |
| 09:05-09:10 | Welcome from HELCOM | Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary, HELCOM Secretariat |
| 09:10-09:15 | Welcome from NME | Lotta Eklund, Coordinator for the Nordic Group on Environment and Economy (NME) |
| 09:15-09:30 | EU Nature Restoration Law | Vedran Nikolic, European Commission, DG Environment (online) |
| 09:30-09:45 | Cost-effectiveness and Marine Restoration | Wenting Chen (NIVA) (online) |
| 09:45-10:00 | Arctic Marine Ecosystem Restoration – Insights from Svalbard | Laura Wendling (SINTEF Ocean) |
| 10:00-10:15 | Habitat restorations in the coastal lagoons in Finland | Sanna Kuningas (LUKE) |
| 10:15-10:30 | Break | |
| 10:30-10:45 | Active restoration of marine habitats in Denmark | Federica Montesanto (Aarhus University) |
| 10:45-11:45 | Panel discussion | Laura Wendling (SINTEF) Sanna Kuningas (LUKE) Federica Montesanto (Aarhus University) Liisa Saikkonen (SYKE) Moderator: Mikelis Bendiks |
| 11:45-12:00 | Wrap up | Moderator: Mikelis Bendiks |
Pathways to restoring Nordic Seas
A unique and innovative element of this event was the creation of an AI-generated video that synthesized the insights and responses provided by the audience. Before the event, participants were invited to answer three key questions about marine restoration.
- What are the main challenges?
- What is needed to overcome them?
- If we overcome the challenges, what can restoration do for the health of the marine environment?
This AI-driven approach allowed for an engaging, data-driven summary of the audience’s input, bringing their voices to life in a format that added depth to the event.
Live Illustration
Throughout the event, key moments, ideas, and themes were captured visually in real-time by a live illustrator, who translated the complex concepts being discussed into an accessible and visually-engaging narrative.
By translating the presentations and panel discussion insights into illustrations, this creative process not only helped to simplify complex concepts but also deepened the audience’s engagement with the topics being discussed.
Live illustration is an effective tool for enhancing communication and audience engagement, as it provides a dynamic and creative way to summarize and highlight key points. It helps capture the essence of the event in a visual form, allowing the ideas to come to life and giving participants a clearer connection between the discussions and the practical implications of marine restoration.
The illustrations also serve as a valuable resource for reinforcing learning and ensuring that important concepts are retained long after the event has concluded. This method of communication is particularly beneficial in complex subjects like marine restoration, where diverse and technical topics can sometimes be difficult to fully absorb. Live illustration helps make these discussions more memorable, turning abstract concepts into tangible representations that foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the field.
A video of the Live Illustration is also available to watch on HELCOM’s YouTube channel.
When: 4 December, 09:00-12:00 CET
Where: Hybrid (presenters in-person, attendees online)
Audience: Aimed at researchers, policymakers, environmental economists, and marine restoration practitioners, and anyone else interested.
Join us for a pivotal conversation on developing sustainable, cost-effective approaches to protect and restore the invaluable Nordic marine environment.
