Category: BIODIV

​​​An efficient and more transparent is now set up by the coastal countries for producing assessments online on Baltic-wide eutrophication, a major environmental threat to the sea. The new automatized process, exceptional in
environmental assessments, combines and calculates monitoring data such as on
nutrients, into resulting indicators and assessments.​ Moreover, the system incorporates an online review by nominated experts for improved quality check and transparency. The HELCOM assessment system, hosted by and developed together with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (), will provide straight access to up-to-date maps and country-wise data, to be released as part of the HELCOM Second Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea in 2017. Screenshot from the new Dataview. ​The new, more detailed information on the level of eutrophication in different basins of the Baltic Sea will enable much faster overall assessment of the status of the sea and the distance to Good Environmental Status, helping to make accurate management decisions for the benefit of the marine environment. The system pilots similar automated procedures foreseen by HELCOM for assessments of hazardous substances and biodiversity planned.  The online , established for testing the new assessment process, is published for demonstration purposes and may be of interest by experts and managers in other sea areas affected by eutrophication in Europe and beyond. The site includes a of the data submissions, data stations and test indicator products, providing for documentation of the review. The dataview also shows details on country-specific submissions of data on eutrophication-related parameters – phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a and Secchi depth – as well as assessment products. The automated assessment workflow is the main deliverable of the finalized 2-year HELCOM . Other outcomes include a concise assessment explaining all the protocols of the assessment, to be used by experts involved in the assessments as well as any party interested in learning details about the assessment methodology. The project has also developed forthcoming HELCOM on eutrophication and improved updating the existing ones; proposed how to combine assessment of coastal and open waters stemming from different legislative frameworks; proposed for improved usage of satellite data along with the in-situ samples collected from monitoring points; and suggested a method on harmonizing coastal and open-sea assessments, among others.Links​ * * *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:Vivi Fleming-LehtinenProject Manager, EUTRO-OPER (until end of 2015)Finnish Environment Institute – SYKETel: +358 50 5984238E-mail: vivi.fleming-lehtinen(at)environment.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

An efficient and more transparent work flow is now set up by the coastal countries for producing assessments online on Baltic-wide eutrophication.

​​​​​​​​​​For the first time, an effort is being made by seven Baltic coastal countries to coordinate the counting of all the waterbirds wintering in the Baltic Sea, a long-term challenge as monitoring of the highly mobile animals requires scheduled cooperation between the states. The shallow waters of the Baltic Sea are important for wintering waterbirds such as diving ducks, divers and alcids.Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) migrates from the Arctic to the Baltic Sea winter. Photo: Bettina Mendel. Monitoring of birds requires international coordination in order to procure reliable estimates of the number of birds wintering in the Baltic Sea. If countries were to conduct surveys in different months, the same individual might be counted in several countries which would impair the abundance estimation.​Describing the Baltic-wide bird distributions and abundances will be attempted jointly for the first time during January and February 2016 by Estonia (University of Life Sciences), Denmark (Aarhus University), Finland (SYKE), Germany (Kiel University), Latvia (Latvian Ornithological society), Poland (various institutes) and Sweden (Lund University). The coordinated survey is conducted from aircrafts or ships, covering a pre-defined network of monitoring transect lines. Successful monitoring requires good weather conditions with low winds and good visibility.Reliable information on the number of waterbirds wintering in the Baltic Sea, as well as the distribution of the birds at sea are important for conservation efforts and for assessing the status of the marine environment. The Baltic Sea is an important wintering ground for species that breed in the region as well as for species breeding in the high Arctic.The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) is one species for which the Baltic Sea is a critically important wintering ground, and it is listed as threatened under the International and the HELCOM Red List (). The long-tailed duck migrates from the Arctic breeding grounds to the Baltic Sea where it congregates in flocks in the open sea. Monitoring these dense aggregations of birds provides the best information about the population abundance, which has seen alarming decrease in recent years.The need for a coordinated survey effort as well as coordinated handling of data on seabirds has been identified as an important area of cooperation in HELCOM, which has recently adopted joint monitoring guidelines.The planning of the coordinated survey on wintering seabirds among the above partners started over a year ago. The aim is to continue the collaboration in the future, regardless of different monitoring schemes in the countries involved.During January and February 2016 the collaborating partners will report about progress with the survey across the Baltic. Frequent updates of the map, indicating which areas have been surveyed will be made available.Figure. 1: Planned monitoring transects to be covered during the seabird survey in winter 2015/2016, mostly referring to aerial surveys (ship-based surveys in Poland). * * * 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:Lena Avellan Project Manager HELCOM Tel: +358 40 162 2054 E-mail: lena.avellan(at)helcom.fi Ib Krag PetersenSurvey CoordinatorDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University, DenmarkTel: +45 242 11614E-mail: ikp(at)bios.au.dk

Seven Baltic coastal countries have just started scheduled and coordinated counting of all the waterbirds wintering in the Baltic Sea.

Starting tomorrow, the country delegates of HELCOM will gather to decide upon a great amount of issues concerning the Baltic Sea and the protection of its marine environment. Heads of Delegation of HELCOM possess a high degree of power over the proposed topics, among the top ones approving the Roadmap on underwater noise and the Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture, and follow-up on the protection of threatened and endangered species.

Starting tomorrow, the country delegates of HELCOM will gather to decide upon a great amount of issues concerning the Baltic Sea and the protection of its marine environment.

​​​Progress of the Baltic Sea countries in conserving seals is being discussed by the  of HELCOM Seal expert group continuing today in Berlin, Germany. The group, consisting of experts, administrators and interest groups, will also discuss the new HELCOM core indicators for assessing the status of mammals in the Baltic Sea. Other major meeting items are the updating of national seal management plans, as well as following up on the effectiveness of the HELCOM Recommendation on conservation of seals (). Photo: ShutterstockMarine mammals of the Baltic – grey seal, ringed seal, harbour seal and harbour porpoise – are reflecting well the health status of marine ecosystem. They are on top of the food web and indicate the state of the environment. They also accumulate many poisonous substances and are affected by human disturbance such as incidental catch.  Whether the countries are conserving seals effectively and meeting the standards agreed in the HELCOM Recommendation (27/28-2) are also addressed by the meeting. Such assessment is to be done every five years and the next round is in 2016.   Linked to the Recommendation follow-up, new assessment tools – HELCOM core indicators on mammals – are soon to be launched.  The core indicators must be regularly updated and this will be provided for by improved data and data flow on Baltic seals, another item of the meeting. Moreover, the mammal indicators have been designed so that they feed into the next HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea.   Furthermore, national management plans for seals will be reviewed by the meeting. Such plans are needed as part of the measures taken to safeguard the long-term viability of the Baltic seal populations, as agreed in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.  . All documents will be public after the meeting. * * * Notes for editorsHELCOM Ad Hoc Seal Expert has met annually since 2006 and consists of researchers, administrators and interest group representatives from the entire Baltic Sea region. The Seal Group has established a common scientific basis on what is a healthy status of the Baltic seals populations, and it regularly follows up on the management plans and other actions as required by the HELCOM requirements. The work is carried out in three teams: population size, distribution, and health teams. 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: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

Progress of the Baltic Sea countries in conserving seals is being discussed by the meeting of HELCOM Seal expert group continuing today in Berlin, Germany.

​​Inter-regional cooperation on marine birds moves ahead this week as the first meeting of the new joint working group on marine birds is convened in Copenhagen. The group consists of concerned representatives from the two neighbouring Regional Sea Conventions, and , as well as of experts from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (). The meeting will discuss how to assess the status of bird populations in the Baltic Sea and the North East Atlantic and how to handle different threats to the birds stemming from human activities.Marine birds are sensitive to environmental changes thus considered as good indicator species for evaluation the status of the environment. Photo: Elena Bulycheva.Experts are joining forces since marine birds fly back and forth over the borders between the conventions covering the Baltic Sea and the North East Atlantic. The highly mobile species require inter-regional coordination to ensure that best available information is used for ensuring efficient and sufficient protection of the species. Marine birds are sensitive to changes in the environment and are considered as good indicator species for evaluation the status of the environment in both conventions. By joining forces in the continued development of environmental core indicators, HELCOM and OSPAR will explore synergies that will ensure support also for the ongoing pan-European assessment processes. The meeting will update the HELCOM core indicators for the abundance of both wintering and breeding birds to evaluate how much progress has been made in the region in achieving a good environmental status.Human pressures threatening the marine bird populations include alterations to birds’ migration routes, important feeding and breeding areas being affected by windfarms, as well as birds drowning in fishing gear. The meeting will consider the latest available knowledge on seabird ecology related to windfarms that can be used in the upcoming management work. Moreover, birds drowning in fishing gear as incidental catch is known to be a severe problem for some species, however very little data are currently available. The meeting will discuss how data could be effectively gathered based on common fisheries policy landing obligations so that fishing practices in the future could be changed to better protect marine birds. * * * 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:Lena Avellan Project Manager HELCOM Tel: +358 40 162 2054 Skype: helcom35 E-mail: lena.avellan(at)helcom.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Neighbouring Regional Seas Conventions HELCOM and OSPAR together with ICES establish a joint working group on marine birds.

​​Protection of biodiversity and assessing the state of the environment will be addressed this week by the meeting of the HELCOM State & Conservation in Helsinki, Finland. The participants arriving from the whole Baltic region represent the member countries of HELCOM as well as observer organizations.HELCOM  displays real-time locations of Baltic research vessels that are used for monitoring.​In its biannual meeting the group is expected to finalize the draft HELCOM Recommendation on Co-operation and coordination of research vessel based monitoring (12-1). Once passed, the Recommendation will improve coordination of cruises carried out under the HELCOM coordinated monitoring programme and facilitate the granting of permits of such cruises. Another recent tool for improving coordination is the HELCOM on-line for sharing information on planned and completed cruises, also showing the real time vessel positions based on HELCOM Automatic Identification System () for ships. Another major topic of the meeting, after the recent launch of the fully modernized of the Baltic Sea coastal and marine protected areas (HELCOM MPAs), is to agree on the methodology for assessing the ecological coherence of these sites. Ecological coherence of the HELCOM MPA network is important as it contributes significantly to biological diversity through e.g. increasing representation and connectivity of species and biotopes. HELCOM has agreed to achieve a coherent and effectively managed network of marine protected areas and the upcoming assessment of ecological coherence will show the progress towards reaching this goal. Moreover, the development of Baltic wide maps of species and biotopes will be agreed at the meeting. Maps informing on the spatial distribution of Baltic Sea biodiversity features will​serve multiple purpose in future HELCOM activities such as the upcoming 2nd HELCOM holistic assessment and Red list assessment.  Furthermore, the meeting will continue the diligent task to review and revise HELCOM monitoring guidelines, a task that will continue to ensure quality assured and comparable data in the Baltic Sea region.  The meeting will be co-chaired by Urmas Lips, Marine Systems Institute at Tallinn University of Technology, and Penina Blankett, Ministry of the Environment of Finland.  All documents will be public after the 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. HELCOM State & Conservation covers the 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 for a coherent holistic assessment of the ecosystems health. * * * 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

Regional coordination of research vessel cruises and ecological coherence of protected areas among key topics of the HELCOM State and Conservation group meeting.

​​​​​​Easier access to more detailed information on coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas (HELCOM MPAs) will be available for anyone by today’s launch of the modernized HELCOM MPA . As there are currently already 174 HELCOM covering 12% of the marine area, making the Baltic Sea a pioneering region, a more sophisticated search function as well as map interface are important improvements to the database. New data sections have also been added: information on human pressures to MPAs, such as damage to seabed or input of sound, and regulated human activities, such as aquaculture, tourism or urban developments. Information details added in the database concern threat categories and monitoring of species, biotopes and biotope complexes within HELCOM MPAs. Another practical feature is direct links which have been added for each MPA to other relevant databases such as Natura 2000, OSPAR, Important Bird Areas (Birdlife), World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and Ramsar. The HELCOM MPA database is among the first ones where information on several management plans can be displayed for one MPA, which fits a clear need as many of these MPAs have several management plans established for different purposes. Another new feature in the database is information about national protection status, which is important for understanding the different legal aspects provided by overlapping national protection networks. Moreover, HELCOM MPA database stands out among other similar databases on regional and global levels, particularly since the information is current and has a vast coverage.    HELCOMs persistent work on coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas will now continue as the assessment of ecological coherence of MPAs is expecting release early next year. The assessment of ecological coherence is made possible through the information compiled in the MPA database.  The HELCOM MPA database can be accessed through .  Please note that HELCOM MPAs are former BSPAs (Coastal and Marine Baltic Sea Protected Areas).Map of HELCOM MPAs and their management plans as of September 2015. * * * Note for editorsThe area of HELCOM marine has increased threefold since 2004 and now, at 12% of the Baltic marine area, exceeds the target of 10% spatial coverage set by the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Baltic Sea was one of the first regional seas in the world to reach this target. The next goal is to reach 10% protection in each sub-basin of the Baltic Sea. 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:Janica BorgProject Coordinator (ECONET)HELCOMTel: +358 40 662 0101Skype: helcom57E-mail: janica.borg(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Easier access to more detailed information on coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas (HELCOM MPAs) will be available for anyone from today omwards.

​Abundance of Indicators on coastal and migratory fish are the first of 19 new HELCOM  launched this fall, as a result of careful preparations by HELCOM experts. For each core indicator the environmental status is evaluated against a quantitative boundary that defines Good Environmental Status (GES). Defining GES through core indicators provides an important tool for assessing the status as well as guiding management towards a healthy Baltic Sea.Judging by the new coastal fish indicators, approximately half of the assessed coastal areas of the Baltic Sea are in good environmental status.  Since populations of coastal fish species are rather stationary, they have good potential in reflecting the general environmental state of the assessment unit. Coastal fish are doing better in the northern and eastern parts of the Baltic Sea, where perch is a key species while in the west an​​d south, where flounder is a key species, the environmental status is poorer.  The entire Baltic Sea from north to south is roamed by adult salmon feeding in the open sea. The abundance of salmon smolt and spawning adults in rivers flowing into the Bothnian Bay is at a level reflecting good environmental status, while in other areas the numbers are clearly below the aspired level. Capture of both young salmon and sea trout as by-catch in fisheries as well as migration barriers in rivers continue to be two of the reasons for GES not being achieved in some areas.  Good Environmental Status (GES) is a key concept in HELCOM Baltic Sea Action , which have set the objectives and actions for reaching GES for the entire Baltic Sea by 2021. The Baltic Sea is in GES when the sea is ecologically diverse, the waters are clean, and the use of the sea is sustainable. Fish are an integral part of the marine ecosystem and maintaining healthy fish communities is thus a key concern in environment protection.   Fast facts – coastal fishFor coastal fish key species, GES is achieved in 2/3 (16 out of the 24) coastal HELCOM assessment units that were evaluated.Piscivores – fish feeding on other fish – indicate GES in a majority of the evaluated coastal assessment unit areas.Cyprinids – fish feeding on smaller animals – indicate GES in half of the evaluated coastal assessment unit areas.Coastal fish communities have significant socio-economic and ecological importance in the Baltic Sea, both for ecosystem functioning and for the recreational and small-scale coastal commercial fishery. Long-term changes in the abundance of coastal fish species are mainly caused by the effects of increased water temperature and eutrophication and also due to human exploitation.  Fast facts – migratory fish​ Salmon is a long-distance migrating big predatory fish species in the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem.The number of juvenile salmon – or smolt – has increased in the Bothnian Bay and Quark area. In the Bothnian Sea as well as Gulf of Finland, the young salmon production is showing slight increase but is still low. On the other hand, the weak smolt production in rivers flowing into the Baltic Proper are not showing any signs of improvement.Sea trout populations indicate a sub-GES state in most of the Baltic Sea coastal areas, with a good environmental state only being indicated in the south-western parts. The current evaluation shows that the status reflected by populations of sea trout is sub-GES in most Baltic Sea coastal areas.>>   * *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:>Ulla Li Zweifel> Professional Secretary> HELCOM> Tel. +358 46 850 9198> Skype: helcom64> E-mail: ullali.zweifel(at)helcom.fi>>>Johanna Laurila> Information Secretary> HELCOM> Tel: +358 40 523 8988> Skype: helcom70> E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Indicators on coastal and migratory fish are the first of 19 new HELCOM core indicators launched this fall, as a result of careful preparations by HELCOM experts.

​Marine and coastal protected areas in the Baltic Sea () and North-East Atlantic were addressed right at the start of the 4th International on Progress in Marine Conservation in Europe 2015, held on 14-18 September in Stralsund, Germany. The extensive agenda ranges from sustainable fisheries to underwater noise, harbour porpoise and management of protected areas. Photo: Metsähallitus NHS​/Pekka LehtonenOn Thursday 17 September, the outcome of the HELCOM Red Lists of and will be presented together with future plans for conservation measures. The latest HELCOM Red List assessments, published in 2013, showed that nearly 70 species are at risk of extinction and close to 20 biotopes at risk of collapse in the HELCOM area.  To mitigate the alarming situation, HELCOM is currently developing a Recommendations for conservation of species and biotopes. The presentation will be given jointly by the HELCOM Secretariat and German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, representing one of the Contracting Parties in HELCOM. The organizer of the conference, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – ) is the German government’s scientific authority responsible for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government’s departmental research agencies. The Agency provides the German Environment Ministry with professional and scientific assistance in all nature conservation and landscape management issues and in international cooperation activities. BfN furthers its objectives by carrying out related scientific research and is also in charge of a number of funding programmes.  * * *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 contactUlla 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

International Conference on Progress in Marine Conservation in Europe 2015 takes place all this week in Stralsund, Germany.

​​New regional action plans to combat marine litter in Baltic Sea and North-East Atlantic have been key topics today during the annual tour of the German Federal Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks in Stralsund, Germany. HELCOM, upon invitation, gave insight into its achievements in protecting the Baltic marine environment and the 2-month old Regional for Marine Litter. Representatives of the municipality, civil society and the media joined the Minister’s troupe in learning details about the litter issue at the local level.  From left: Darius Campbell, Executive Secretary of OSPAR; Monika Stankiewicz, Executiv​e Secretary of HELCOM; Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Environment Minister; and Heike Imhoff, Chair of HELCOM Gear group, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.​”The actions against this urgent conservation issue are now intensifying at many fronts, as the meeting of G7 heads of state and government proved in the beginning of June this year. We need to create ownership, in particular as regards the local and the regional level. Global combat against marine litter can’t succeed without strong support from the Regional Seas Conventions,” said Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Minister from the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. “As the tour today has shown, the importance of local level should not be disregarded, whether in sufficient management of shipping disposals at ports or safer practices concerning fishing nets.  “The only way to ensure that the actions against litter are accomplished for real is that all actors join the governments’ work,” urged Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of HELCOM. HELCOM launched last June the complete for Marine Litter for the Baltic Sea, listing over thirty specific regional actions which are required for unburdening the Baltic Sea from litter. The list of actions in the HELCOM litter plan covers waste management and sewage water systems; remediation and removal of dumpsites; and tackling top items such as microparticles, polystyrene foam, plastic bags, sanitary litter in sewage, and bottles and containers.  The Action plan for marine litter also covers sea-based sources which entail developing best practices for handling waste from fisheries and ships, as well as collection of abandoned fishing gear such as ghost nets. As according to research, most of marine litter derives from households and consumer practices, actions addressing education and outreach on marine litter are also included in the document. Marine litter has a large impact on the environment. While an evident aesthetic problem, litter impairs marine organisms, threatens human health and safety, and increases socio-economic costs. It is estimated that three quarters of litter is plastics, including tiny micro particles which may end up climbing up the food chain. Fast facts on marine litter in the Baltic Sea​- Consumer behaviour is the top reason for marine litter in the Baltic Sea.>- 48% of marine litter in the Baltic Sea originates from household‐related waste, including sanitary waste, while waste generated by recreational or tourism activities would add up to 33%.Microplastics- Up to 40 tonnes of microplastics – particles <5mm in diameter – are released annually into the Baltic Sea catchment through the use of products like body wash, shower gels, and scrubs.> – A growing number of scientific studies show that microplastics can bring serious harm to the marine environment and its inhabitants. When in water, microplastics act as magnets, attracting and carrying bacteria and various contaminants that “colonize” the particles.>>- Around 130 tons of polyethylene particles from personal care products are flushed down the household drains in the Baltic Sea catchment area each year.​Beach litter- The amounts of litter collected in selected Baltic beaches ranged from 76 items/100m at rural beaches to 237 items/100m at urban beaches. Different beach types were monitored in 2012–13 in Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Sweden. > – There are an estimated 150–450 tons of lost fish nets in the seabed of the Polish territorial sea and Polish exclusive economic zone alone.>​​Some global figures- The world annual plastic prod uction has increased dramatically, from 1.7 million tonnes in the 1950s to approximately 280 million tonnes in 2011. Each year up to 10 percent of global plastics production, which is estimated to account for 299 million tons in 2015, ends up as marine litter.  > – The estimated proportion of plastic among total global marine debris ranges from 60 to 80%, reaching 90 to 95% in some areas.  MARLIN Project, 2013; ARCADIS report, 2012;  MARLIN Project, 2013;  Baltic Eye Policy Brief, April 2015;  ibid;  ibid;  MARLIN Project, 2013;  WWF Poland, 2011;  PlasticsEurope, 2012; ​ Gregory & Ryan 1997.​​* * *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

New regional action plans to combat marine litter in Baltic Sea and North-East Atlantic have been key topics during the annual tour of the German Federal Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks today in Stralsund, Germany.