Category: BIODIV

​​​The second HELCOM holistic assessment – State of the Baltic Sea – will be the common basis for governments for further measures to protect the seaKey components of the State report are the focal topics for a HELCOM meeting this weekA new HELCOM Recommendation on biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes and HELCOM monitoring guidelines are among other topics of the 5-day meeting in Tallinn, EstoniaAs a part of the sizeable endeavour by HELCOM to assess the environmental status of the entire Baltic Sea by 2017, many necessary building blocks are discussed by the HELCOM State and Conservation Working Group this week. The convenes in Tallinn, Estonia for advancing the next HELCOM holistic – State of the Baltic Sea – , finalizing the Recommendation on biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes, and reviewing and upgrading HELCOM monitoring guidelines, among others. Integration tools bring together the many parameters to provide sensible and reliable assessments of the state of the Baltic Sea marine environment. Photo: Metsähallitus NHS/Essi Keskinen​ Integration tools for biodiversity and hazardous substances have been developed intensively by HELCOM this year. The 2017 ‘State of the Baltic Sea’ builds on a vast amount of HELCOM quality assured data and indicator results. Tools, designed to address specific environmental issues, are needed to bring together the many parameters to provide sensible and reliable assessments of the state of the Baltic Sea marine environment. The tools integrate the results of indicators such as on distribution of marine mammals, abundance of birds, size of zooplankton, and quality of benthic organisms, to arrive at the status of biodiversity. The meeting this week will work on the final form of these tools.  For hazardous substances, the concentration of dioxins, PCBs and other contaminants and their effects are considered. The HELCOM approach to assess the pressures and impacts on the marine environment – the Baltic Sea Impact Index – has also been upgraded this year with new data and special attention given to the spatial extent of impacts.  A key issue for the meeting is to agree on a set of HELCOM core and the associated definition of Good Environmental Status. During 2016, countries leading the indicator development and expert groups have worked towards making the core indicators operational.  In addition, a draft new HELCOM Recommendation on biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes will be elaborated at the meeting, with the view to have it ready for approval by the main HELCOM delegates in December 2016.  Coordinated monitoring guidelines, a prerequisite for making coherent and comparable regional assessments, continues to be scrutinized by the Working Group and fully reviewed and revised HELCOM monitoring guidelines are anticipated to be ready by mid-2017. The Fifth of the Working Group on the State of the Environment and Nature Conservation, (STATE & CONSERVATION 5-2016) will be convened on 7-11 November 2016 in Tallinn, Estonia. The meeting is chaired by the co-Chairs of the group, Ms Penina Blankett, Finland, and Mr. Urmas Lips, Estonia. All documents will be public after the meeting.  * * * Note for editors is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. HELCOM State & Conservation covers monitoring and assessment functions as well as nature conservation and biodiversity protection at HELCOM. It works across the monitoring-indicators-assessment chain to develop HELCOM thematic assessment tools and conducts the coherent holistic assessment of the ecosystem’s health. The next State of the Baltic Sea assessment – or HOLAS II – will give a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea. The first results are scheduled for release in mid-2017 and finalized by mid-2018. The update on the overall state of the entire Baltic Sea is worked on by the (2014–18), which develops common concepts and methods for the status assessment based on core indicators; creates and tests the tools for aggregated results and, finally, performs assessments at a regional scale. The development of the assessment methods is supported by other projects such as and BalticBOOST.  is an EU co-financed project coordinated by HELCOM. The main objective of the project is to improve regional coherence in the implementation of marine strategies through improved data flow, assessments, and knowledge base for development of measures. The project (2015–16) will develop assessment tools and set up data arrangements to support indicator-based assessments of the state of and pressures on the Baltic Sea.   * * * For more information, please contact:Ulla Li ZweifelProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel. +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom64E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​​​​

The second HELCOM holistic assessment – State of the Baltic Sea – will be the common basis for governments for further measures to protect the sea.

​​​​​​​Overall the protection of the Baltic Sea through HELCOM MPAs is substantial – the coverage of the areas​​ is at first-rate 12 %​​Adequacy and connectivity of the MPA network are however not at sufficient levels for meeting the targets set for ecological coherence in the Baltic Sea region “>The Baltic Sea has in terms of areal coverage the highest protection of all European marine regions; 12% of the HELCOM area is designated as marine protected areas () thus, the target set by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity of conserving at least 10% of coastal and marine areas has been reached in the Baltic Sea.> >>The network of coastal and marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea, or HELCOM MPAs, is however not yet ecologically coherent, concludes the new HELCOM . A coherent network, an achievement only possible through cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries, would ensure that the MPAs in the Baltic Sea are providing protection beyond the individual sites. Satisfactory coherence is important as it would contribute significantly to the biological diversity in the Baltic Sea and to favourable status of habitats and species, which are both major goals for HELCOM.>> Two aspects considered by the report regarding ecological coherence of the MPAs are at acceptable level: representativity and replication. Representativity, or areal representation, refers to the different types of geographical features and broad scale habitats, and replication to a set of indicative species and biotope complexes and broad scale habitats. Improvements are however needed especially in two aspects of ecological coherence of the MPAs: adequacy, which considers the quality of the network, and connectivity, which measures how well the network supports migration and dispersal of species.  Networks of marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea. The assessment also proposes a number of actions for improving the network of HELCOM MPAs. They include, for instance, enhancing the protection of threatened species, biotopes and biotope complexes within the MPAs, as the reporting by countries so far indicates surprisingly few threatened species and biotopes as being protected in the sites. In addition, the target for areal coverage of MPAs has not yet been reached in all sub-basins or in waters beyond territorial waters.   The assessment is based on data in the , renewed and launched in late 2015.  The ecological coherence assessment follows up on the commitments made in a HELCOM Recommendation () in 2014, in which the Contracting Parties have agreed to establish an ecologically coherent and effectively managed network of coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas.  Print copies of the Ecological coherence of the marine protected area network in the Baltic Sea (BSEP 148) can be requested from HELCOM Secretariat. * * *Note for editorsThere are currently already 174 covering almost 12% of the marine area, making the Baltic Sea one of the first regional seas in the world to reach the UN target.  The aim of the coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas (HELCOM MPAs) is to protect valuable marine and coastal habitats in the Baltic Sea. This is done by designating sites with particular nature values as protected areas, and by managing human activities within those areas. Each site will have its unique management plan. The 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 Ulla Li ZweifelProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel. +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom64E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fi​​Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

The coverage of coastal and marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea, or HELCOM MPAs, is at first-rate 12 % – however the network of MPAs is not yet ecologically coherent.

​​​​Finding out the economic damages of a deteriorating state of the Baltic Sea is a key task for HELCOM experts this winter, as a part of the holistic due to release in mid-2017. The actions to prevent pollution will likely involve expenses – however the price of a polluted marine environment may be high. The HELCOM workshop this week in Tallinn, Estonia, continued​ ​​​to analyze the benefits of a healthy and thriving Baltic marine environment with a particular focus on examining the cost of degradation. Analyzing the socioeconomic impacts to the health of the Baltic Sea connects two components: the use of marine waters, expected to bring in profits, and the cost of degradation.​ Photo: Maritime Office in GdyniaThe cost of degradation is defined as the consequences to human well-being from the degradation of the marine environment.  It can be assessed based on the benefits forgone or damages resulting from not achieving good environmental status (GES). The workshop discusses the best approach for such estimation – making best use of quantitative and qualitative methods. The HELCOM holistic assessment on the state of and pressures on the Baltic Sea () will be a comprehensive compilation evaluating the overall state of ecosystem health in the Baltic Sea. The first assessment results will be released in June 2017 and the report will be finalized by mid-2018. The process to analyze the socioeconomic impacts of changes in the state of the Baltic Sea connects two components: the use of marine waters, expected to bring in profits, and the cost of degradation. Various national assessments have been performed but a shared evaluation from a regional viewpoint is still missing. The current HELCOM task is to develop a framework and pave way for such a regional analysis. The estimates for the cost of degradation are the most advanced for eutrophication, as there are national estimates in place for each nine coastal country. More indicative evaluations – for instance for biodiversity, food webs and non-indigenous species – can be used to illustrate what is at stake if the state of the Baltic Sea does not improve. In addition, economic indicators are under development which will illustrate the economic importance of the marine environment as well as sectors depending on it. A major intention is to perform the economic analyses together with the assessment of pressures from human activities. This would help explain how the economic sector or activity – including the derived benefits – depends on the state of the sea. The is held on 8-9 September 2016 and chaired by Ms Soile Oinonen, Finnish Environment Centre. It is a part of the , funded by the EU.* * *Note for editors: is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Ulla Li ZweifelProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel. +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom64E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

Finding out the economic damages of a deteriorating state of the Baltic Sea is a key task for HELCOM experts this winter. First results of the HELCOM cost-effectiveness analysis will be launched mid-2017.

​​​​​​Since most of our activities on land and at sea create pressures on—and changes to—the sensitive marine environment, mapping the extent and impact of these pressures is crucial for a legitimate picture of the state of the Baltic Sea. HELCOM, as a part of the forthcoming holistic assessment of the ecosystem health (), is speeding up work on assessing the impacts from human activities on the marine ecosystem, with a focus on their spatial distribution. A dedicated workshop to address this topic is held this week in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the HELCOM coordinated project, co-financed by EU. Impacts from human activities on the Baltic marine ecosystem, and the spatial distribution of the pressures, is the main focus of the workshop. Photo: Maritime Office in Gdynia The 2-day workshop will discuss the Baltic Sea Impact Index (BSII), first created for the Initial HELCOM Holistic from 2010. The Index is based on data sets that show the spatial distribution of human activities in the Baltic Sea, as well as pressures and ecosystem components. The ecosystem components include for instance the distribution of different fish, mammals and sea birds, as well as the key habitats. The Impact Index takes into account the sensitivity of the ecosystem components (using so-called sensitivity scores) of each assessed pressure. The results will show how key environmental pressures in the Baltic Sea are distributed spatially and where they coincide most strongly with sensitive parts of the ecosystem. In addition to assessments based on the Baltic Sea Impact Index being in focus of this week, the HOLAS II project will look into trends over time in the key pressures and the socioeconomic importance of human activities, as well as evaluate cumulative impacts on the seafloor using indicators.   The workshop to support the development of the Baltic Sea Pressure and Impact index is held on 6-7 September 2016 in Helsinki, Finland and chaired by Samuli Korpinen, Finnish Environment Centre.. All the documents will be public after the workshop.  * * * Note for editorsHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. The next HELCOM Holistic Assessment will give a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea. The first results are scheduled for release in mid-2017 and finalized by mid-2018. The update on the overall state of the entire Baltic Sea is worked on by the HOLAS II project (2014–18), which develops common concepts and methods for the status assessment based on core indicators; creates and tests the tools for aggregated results and, finally, performs assessments at a regional scale. The development of the assessment methods is supported by other projects such as and .​ * * * For more information, please contact:Ulla Li ZweifelProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel. +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom64E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fiJohanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

HELCOM, as a part of the forthcoming holistic assessment of the ecosystem health (HOLAS II), is speeding up work on assessing the impacts from human activities on the marine ecosystem.

​​This week the harbour porpoise, the threatened and also the only small whale (cetacean) species of the Baltic Sea, gets international attention in a high-level meeting in Helsinki, Finland. HELCOM is represented in the meeting to establish even stronger links with the ASCOBANS Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans. The work between the two organizations has begun in the 1990s. There are less than 500 harbour porpoises left in the Baltic Sea. Photo: Solvin Zankl/Swedish Agency for Marine and Water and Management. HELCOM has contributed long-term to the research and management tools for alleviating pressures on threatened and declining species in the Baltic Sea, also the harbour porpoise, the population of which dropped dramatically in the mid-1950s and is now at under 500 in the Baltic Sea. The top current threats for Baltic harbour porpoise are bycatch in fisheries, environmental toxins and anthropogenic noise.  The HELCOM work related to conserving the harbour porpoise, led by the Seal expert since 2006, has expanded in recent years. One prominent HELCOM area is the work on indicators, as measuring the changes in the environment will help determine the most effective management decisions. The development work of a specific harbour porpoise indicator is ongoing, HELCOM also works at full speed to develop two indicators on : both ambient and impulsive noise. There are also two major HELCOM reports coming soon, about the impact of underwater noise as well as mitigation measures. Cooperation between ASCOBANS and HELCOM has long traditions and it has stayed lively up to today. For instance, the joint HELCOM/ASCOBANS harbour porpoise has been ready and regularly updated for ten years. The new resolutions to be adopted by ASCOBANS this week will be brought to the attention of the relevant HELCOM working groups covering all the Contracting Parties of the Helsinki Convention.* * *Note for editors: is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention.  was concluded in 1991 as the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) and entered into force in 1994. In February 2008, an extension of the agreement area came into force which changed the name to “Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas”. * * * For more information, please contact:Petra KääriäAssistant Professional SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 630 9933Skype: helcom68E-mail: petra.kaaria(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

HELCOM reinforces links with ASCOBANS in a high-level meeting this week, discussing key challenges to the declining species.

​​The HELCOM expert group on radioactive substances has reviewed this week the latest scientific reports for the year 2015 revealing that for the first time, in the Southern Baltic in the Southern Baltic, Caesium-137 concentrations in surface waters are below the pre-Chernobyl target level of 15 Bq/m3. The decrease is most likely due to the exceptionally large saline water inflow from the North Sea into the Baltic Sea reported in December 2014*. The radioactivity levels have for long been declining in all the sub-basins of the Baltic Sea but this is the first time that the results have dropped this low, at Flensburg Fjord and Bornholm deep in the Southern Baltic.​Levels of radioactivity in the Baltic Sea are measure from e.g flounder. Photo: Petra KääriäIn their meeting in Uppsala, Sweden, the Expert Group on Monitoring of Radioactive Substances in the Baltic Sea (MORS EG) has also discussed the next thematic assessment of long-term changes in Baltic Sea radioactivity 2011–2015, with delivery now scheduled at 2017 as this will match the purposes of HOLAS II, the Second holistic Baltic-wide assessment in 2018. Further, the group will update the HELCOM core indicator “Radioactive substances: Caesium-137 in fish and surface waters” with latest data for the year 2015. In addition, the group has also reviewed and quality assured the annual data submissions to the HELCOM and , containing an unbroken time series from 1984 and 1952, respectively. The meeting, chaired by the MORS EG Chair Ms Tarja Ikäheimonen, was participated also by International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), notifying the addition of HELCOM MORS environmental data to IAEA’s .  ​ *.   . All documents are public after the Meeting. * * * 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:Tarja K. Ikäheimonen Chair of HELCOM MORS Expert Group Environmental Radiation Surveillance and Emergency Preparedness STUK – Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Tel. +358 400 811 254 E-mail: Tarja.Ikaheimonen(at)stuk.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

For the first time, at two monitoring sites, Caesium-137 concentrations in surface waters are below the pre-Chernobyl target level.

​​​This week is all about fish in the Baltic Sea as three HELCOM meetings dealing with sustainable fisheries are held back-to-back in Gothenburg, Sweden. Key topics for HELCOM professionals gathering this week include migratory fish species, indicators, as well as the follow up of the recent HELCOM Recommendation on aquaculture. HELCOM has worked for years for healthy Baltic Sea as important parts of the ecosystem, weakened by unsustainable fishing as well as pollution including eutrophication-induced oxygen depletion and high levels of hazardous substances. Baltic herring. Photo: Riku Lumiaro/SYKE.On Monday, the nominated Task Force will prioritize HELCOM tasks for the next two years in the field of migratory fish such as salmon, sea trout and eel.  The following day’s HELCOM workshop on fish indicators focuses on the goals related to fish in the Baltic. More specifically, the participants will weigh in on the interaction between goals rooted in environmental policy – HELCOM indicators – and those derived from fisheries policy of the European Union. On Wednesday and Thursday, HELCOM discusses, e.g., the ways to start implementing the HELCOM Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture, which was adopted in March. Work has started on creating a suitable set of Best Available Technology / Best Environmental Practices descriptions. The group will also work on solutions to improve the information exchange between HELCOM and other Baltic Sea regional organizations active in the field of fish, fisheries, and aquaculture. Data collection on fish, such as the availability of information on incidental catches, will also be addressed at the Fish group meeting. All documents will be available after the meetings:Second Meeting of the HELCOM Task Force on migratory fish species (), 9 May 2016. The Meeting will elect a chair for itself.HELCOM workshop on fish indicators (), 10 May 2016. Moderated by Ulrika Gunnartz, Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SWAM). 4th Meeting of the Group on Ecosystem-based Sustainable Fisheries (), 11-12 May 2016. Meeting will be chaired by Mr. Marcin Rucinski, Chair of the group.  * * * Note for editors: deals with the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach in fisheries and considers how the sector could help reach Good Environmental Status in the Baltic Sea by 2021. The group involves representatives from fisheries and environmental authorities of the Baltic Sea countries, as well as EU, and HELCOM Observers and others as appropriate. Its official name is the HELCOM Group on Ecosystem-based Sustainable Fisheries.  is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. * * *For more information, please contact:Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Fish groupsHELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

This week is all about fish in the Baltic Sea as three HELCOM meetings dealing with sustainable fisheries are held back-to-back in Gothenburg, Sweden.

​​​​How can threatened species of the Baltic Sea be better protected by coastal states is one major point of discussion at the HELCOM State and Conservation group’s starting today in Schwerin, Germany. Countries will now start planning their conservation activities which aim to reduce the number of Baltic Sea species categorized as threatened according to the HELCOM , following HELCOM Recommendation () was adopted last month. Plans will also now be put into motion to develop an associated HELCOM Recommendation to protect red listed biotopes and habitats in the Baltic Sea.Protecting species and habitats of the Baltic Sea moves ahead in the HELCOM State & Conservation meeting. Metsähallitus Natural Heritage Services/Essi Keskinen.This week coastal country representatives, observers and researchers will discuss a number of other issues related to Baltic nature conservation and to monitoring and assessing the state of the sea. Many are directly related to – the Second Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea to be released mid-2017.  HOLAS II will incorporate thematic assessments on biodiversity, eutrophication and hazardous substances as well as address topics such as marine litter, underwater noise, and non-indigenous species. The assessment will be based on tools for which the practical rules for assessing the different thematic areas will be discussed at the meeting. The status assessments will build on HELCOM core indicators that provides quantitative definitions of Good Environmental Status (GES). GES definitions for some indicators will be presented for endorsement at this week’s meeting.  The working group continues to review and revise joint HELCOM monitoring which are essential to the coordination of monitoring by countries in the shared sea area. HELCOM started such systematic monitoring decades ago and a new round of guideline updates will be discussed at this meeting. The process is expected to be completed and guidelines included in the comprehensive HELCOM within 2016. The five-day meeting will also cover a session on underwater noise. HELCOM, through EU co-financed BalticBOOST project, is currently identifying the spatial and temporal distribution of sound sensitive species and habitats in the Baltic Sea which will form the basis for developing principles for defining Good Environmental Status (GES) for noise. Furthermore, a proposed monitoring programme for underwater noise will be discussed, building on the outcome of the Life+ project BIAS. The meeting will convene on 11-15 April 2016 and is chaired by Penina Blankett and Urmas Lips, Co-Chairs of the HELCOM Working Group on the State of the Environment and Nature Conservation.  All documents will be public after the meeting. * * * Note for editorsHELCOM State & Conservation covers monitoring and assessment functions as well as nature conservation and biodiversity protection in HELCOM. The group works across the monitoring-indicators-assessment chain for the coordinated development of HELCOM thematic assessment tools, as well as coherent holistic assessment of the ecosystems health. The 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:Ulla Li ZweifelProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel. +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom64E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

HELCOM countries will now start planning their conservation activities which aim to reduce the number of Baltic Sea species categorized as threatened

​​​HELCOM Annual Meeting with delegates from the nine Baltic coastal states and the EU has today adopted the on sustainable aquaculture. The Recommendation gives tools for the Baltic Sea region to develop this growing sector based on the Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) and it will be followed by expert work to jointly develop a menu of BAT/BEP descriptions.HELCOM Annual Meeting is the highest decision-making body of the Helsinki Commission. In addition, three other HELCOM Recommendations were adopted by the Meeting, helping to improve the status of the Baltic marine environment: Recommendation on Conservation of Baltic Sea categorized as threatened, Recommendation on Safety of winter navigation with updated part on correspondence between Ice Classes (), as well as Recommendation concerning co-operation and coordination of based monitoring and procedures for granting permits. How is the region doing in more detail in implementing Baltic Sea Action Plan was one Meeting topic
(see summary graph below),​ through a new online explorer demonstrated to the participants. The portal, expecting launch in April, will show the level of accomplishment by the HELCOM countries of a selection of actions agreed on in HELCOM.  Among the many topics of the 2-day Meeting were maritime spatial planning and supporting the of the Joint HELCOM-VASAB Working Group, being a unique set-up and good example of sea-basin cooperation. The delegates also addressed possible improvements for following up the nutrient input reduction scheme and countries in their annual targets for Phosphorus and Nitrogen; as well as reviewed the requested information on activities in the Gulf of Finland and the situation of HELCOM – significant sources of pollution in the Baltic Sea. Russian Federation discussed one of the Hot Spots (No. 23) and was requested to provide more information on the situation and planned activities around the Krasny Bor landfill on the next HELCOM Pressure Working Group meeting in April 2016.  Moreover, the meeting the Roadmap for a Baltic Sea NECA, with potential to significantly reduce Nutrient inputs from ships to the Baltic Sea. Meeting outcome will be available next week. All meeting documents are available in ​New online explorer will soon be opened for browsing how the countries are doing in protecting​ the marine environment.-12 ms-rteFontSize-1″>-12 ms-rteFontSize-1″> * * * 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​

HELCOM Annual Meeting with delegates from the nine Baltic coastal states and the EU has adopted four HELCOM Recommendations.

​​​​More push for the actions against marine litter in the Baltic Sea is a key purpose of the HELCOM Marine Litter Stakeholder , held today in Helsinki, Finland . As litter is a complex issue and ranges from micro particles from cosmetics to ships’ waste management and fisheries practices, reducing it requires work from a wide range of stakeholders. For collecting many viewpoints, HELCOM will host today a mix of selected representatives of governance, industry, research and civil society, to find new ways for more effective leadership in the battle on litter in the Baltic. ​ In June 2015, thirty concrete tasks to combat litter in the Baltic Sea were agreed on by all the Baltic coastal states as well as the EU, and listed in the HELCOM Regional on Marine Litter. The present status of implementing the actions of the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter is the underpinning of the Conference – over half are having leads and/or co-leads by the coastal states, while many remain without a guiding force. Fight against marine litter is not a solitary affair. The involvement of G7, United Nations, European Union and HELCOM sister entities such as OSPAR and Mediterranean Action Plan, among others, are indispensable for the success in reducing marine litter. Marine litter is a global and local problem with far-reaching implications also in the Baltic Sea. Marine litter impairs marine organisms, threatens human health and safety, and has socio-economic costs. There are many land- and sea-based sources of marine debris but the problem can be largely traced to general production and consumption habits. Among other factors, household disposal of waste material, management of waste water as well as shipping discharges play a significant role in the well-being of marine ecosystems around the world. The Conference will be between 10:00 -16:30 (CET+2hrs). The audiences are encouraged to participate through Twitter, #litterconf. Afterwards all materials, including video clips, will be available at the . The summary conclusions of the Conference will be presented tomorrow on 10 March to the 37th HELCOM Annual Meeting. * * * Note for editors The 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

More push for the actions against marine litter in the Baltic Sea is a key purpose of the HELCOM Marine Litter Stakeholder Conference, held today in Helsinki, Finland.