A chance for environmental dialogue and speaking out recent ideas about the Baltic Sea marine protection started today at the 17th International in St. Petersburg, Russia. The continuing practice of a crowded annual event on marine protection during twenty years gives evidence that sharing experiences on a regional level is of great value. The main organizer of the 2-day forum is the St. Petersburg Public Organisation «». The year 2017 will be announced as the Year of Environment and Nature Protected Areas in the Russian Federation. Photo: Metsähallitus NHS/Essi Keskinen.Hundreds of participants have again joined the plenary as well as six roundtables packed with information on cleantech solutions, nature protection, agriculture and awareness raising, among others. Policy frameworks on most topics will be introduced and exchange ensured on current research and scientific results. The roundtable on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), for instance, has a good representation of the different Ministries connected with MSP in the Russian Federation, important as in many countries the responsibility on MSP may fall under different, or several, Ministries. The session on Chemical pollution focuses on identification of the priority chemicals polluting the Baltic Sea, and also the availability of data on inputs of nutrients, heavy metals and synthetic organic pollutants for a region-wide assessment. Four individual contributions will focus on pharmaceuticals in the Baltic Sea, timely also in the sense that HELCOM will release an assessment on the topic later this year. This year, the awards for personal contributions to the development of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, given by the V.I. Vernadskiy Ecological Fund, were given to Jacek Zaucha, Poland, VASAB Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region; as well as Dietrich Schulz, Germany, Federal Environment Agency and Chair of HELCOM Group on Sustainable Agricultural Practices; and Kai Myrberg, Senior Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), among others.Mr. Jacek Zauha receiving the V.I. Vernadskiy Ecological Fund award. with full programme and speakers. Selected presentations will later be available. * * * Note for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi
The continuing practice of a crowded event on marine protection gives evidence that sharing experiences on a regional level is of great value.
