A groundbreaking initiative is harnessing the power of gaming to inspire action for the restoration of the Baltic Sea. Ecosfera Baltica, developed by HELCOM and Julibert Games, merges science, sustainability, and strategy into an engaging and fun collaborative game experience aimed at all ages.

The Baltic Sea faces significant environmental challenges, as highlighted by the State of the Baltic Sea 2023 report. Ecosfera Baltica brings these findings to life by educating players on the complex interplay of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the impact our activities have on the sea. Available in both a tabletop boardgame and a digital version, the game encourages cooperation, critical thinking, and empathy while emphasising actionable solutions for a sustainable future.

“Games have been proven to help players to foster empathy, enhance problem-solving skills and encourage critical thinking, ultimately driving social change by encouraging players to take action in the real world” concludes Jannica Haldin, who coordinates the project at HELCOM together with Owen Rowe.

The game features scientifically accurate scenarios, multiple levels of complexity, and accessibility options to appeal to players of all ages and backgrounds. Funded by the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, Ecosfera Baltica is set for release in early 2025.

The digital multiplayer version, developed in collaboration with Reaktor, aims to make the game more accessible, thereby expanding its reach to schools and other educational institutions across the Baltic Sea region.

How to access the game?

Both versions of the game (digital and tabletop board game) are due to launch early 2025. To ensure your copy of Ecosfera Baltica board game once it is ready, you can sign up for the Ecosfera Baltica Kickstarter campaign. You will then be notified once the campaign launches on 1 March 2025, with further details on how to place on order.

Contact

Jannica Haldin
jannica.haldin@helcom.fi
+358 40 485 5905

Eeva Nyyssönen
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi
+358 40 6473996

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.  

1. What are the main challenges? 
2. What is needed to overcome them? 
3. 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. 

HELCOM has long collected various shipping and maritime-related data within the HELCOM Maritime  Working Group, Expert Groups and projects. Now, this data is more accessible than ever with the launch of a new, user-friendly shipping data platform.    

The platform is organized into three sections for easy navigation: 

• Maps: Links to map resources in the HELCOM Map and data service and customized thematic map viewers (e.g. EMERGE map viewer showcasing different emission scenarios produced in EMERGE project)

• Dashboards: Interactive charts and figures displaying e.g. time series of amounts of illegal oil spills observed in the Baltic Sea 

• Stories: Stories and more in-depth information based on project results, showcasing various aspects of shipping in the Baltic Sea. 

The shipping data platform utilizes datasets published in HELCOM Map and data service with customized visualizations tailored for these specific datasets. Datasets are results from specific projects or resulting from the annually collected data flows under HELCOM data collection policy. All datasets can be downloaded from the HELCOM Metadata catalogue. 

Go to shipping data platform

Contact

Joni Kaitaranta

Senior Data Manager, HELCOM

joni.kaitaranta@helcom.fi

Last year, only 32 harmful spills of mineral oil were detected in the Baltic Sea, according to a new HELCOM report. This marks a significant long-term decrease, compared to the 763 pollution occurrences reported in 1989, the first year of aerial surveillance.

The decline in detected oil spills, despite increased shipping and more intensive aerial surveillance, is likely due to a higher number of flight hours and the broader use of remote sensing equipment, such as Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR). Enhanced monitoring likely deters ships from making illegal discharges. Satellite surveillance also complements aerial efforts by covering larger areas and improving overall effectiveness of flights. 

In 2023, Baltic Sea countries conducted 2,920 hours of aerial surveillance flights, the lowest number since the mid-1990s. This reduction was due to maintenance and technical issues, along with organizational changes in some countries. It is not unusual for the number of flight hours to vary each year during the regular regional aerial surveillance activities. Additionally, the flight hours reported only account for fixed-wing aircraft, excluding helicopters and drones to maintain consistency in long-term statistics. Aerial surveillance by helicopters and flights has been reported separately since 2019. 

The key findings of the HELCOM Annual report on discharges observed during aerial surveillance in the Baltic Sea, 2023 can be explored via an interactive data visualization dashboard developed by the HELCOM Secretariat using Power BI. This tool provides users with a more detailed and analytical view of the aerial surveillance datasets since 1998. 

Data on individual oil spills can also be viewed and downloaded from the HELCOM Map and data service (HELCOM MADS). 

Aerial surveillance and response to spills in the Baltic Sea 

Cooperation on aerial surveillance within the Baltic Sea area was established in the 1980s under the framework of HELCOM. The primary aim of regional aerial surveillance is to detect spills of oil and other harmful substances, thereby preventing violations of regulations on pollution from ships. These spills pose a significant threat to the marine environment of the Baltic Sea area. When possible, the source of pollution should be established, and samples of the spill should be taken from both the sea surface and the suspected offender to enable prosecution. 

To monitor these commitments and to provide an overview of the situation in the region, the HELCOM Secretariat compiles annual data on discharges observed in the Baltic Sea area during national and jointly coordinated aerial surveillance activities. The HELCOM Expert Group on Aerial Surveillance (EG Surveillance) is responsible for implementing the aerial surveillance cooperation and commitments.  

Read the report

The Baltic Sea, one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world, faces severe environmental threats, particularly due to eutrophication resulting from unsustainable agricultural practices.

In a collaborative effort to tackle this pressing issue, a free hybrid seminar and networking event will bring together governments, scientists, policymakers, the agriculture industry, and concerned citizens to explore solutions that can mitigate the environmental impact on this crucial marine ecosystem.

The event will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EEST), at Eurooppasali (Malminkatu 16, Helsinki, Finland) and online. It is open to anyone interested in learning about or contributing to the ongoing efforts to protect the Baltic Sea.

Registration is now open here (until 4 October).

This event coincides with the arrival of the Save The Baltic Sea (STBS) expedition in Helsinki, part of an environmental campaign and walking expedition that began in Lithuania.

The seminar is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Finland, HELCOM, and Save The Baltic Sea.

The event will conclude with networking and a light lunch, allowing attendees to engage with experts and stakeholders committed to protecting the Baltic Sea.

For more information and the programme, please check the event webpage or the Facebook page.

Contact

Eeva Nyyssönen
Communications Secretary
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi
+358406473996

HELCOM has officially launched its first data call for PROTECT BALTIC, inviting stakeholders to share crucial biotic, abiotic, and supporting data on the Baltic region. This initiative aims to boost protection efforts and improve strategic planning.

HELCOM is seeking information on a large number of parameters which make up the Baltic Sea ecosystem, including benthic species, birds, bottom organic matter content, chlorophyll-a concentration, dissolved organic matter, fish and decapod crustacean species, hypoxia, sediment maps, sedimentation accumulation rates, fish spawning and nursery areas, and turbidity.

The collected data will be used to update models for both abiotic and biotic parameters, such as species and habitat distribution, as well as mapping ecosystem functions and services.

The deadline for submitting all relevant and up-to-date data, complete with metadata, is 31 March 2024.

All national data collected will be amalgamated into a Baltic-wide dataset, aligning with HELCOM’s commitment to open accessibility in line with its data and information strategy.

The underlying unrestricted data will be made publicly available through the HELCOM Map and Data service and/or HELCOM Biodiversity database, ensuring transparency and facilitating the replicability of assessments.

Contact

Kimmo Koivumäki
GIS Data Specialist for PROTECT BALTIC

kimmo.koivumaki@helcom.fi

+358 44 7071 801

The 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) will take place in Riga on 4-5 October 2023. The theme of this year’s forum is Safe and Sustainable Baltic Sea Region for Future Generations, with special focus on climate affairs, green energy and future generations.

As part of the forum’s programme, HELCOM will co-host a workshop with Pomorskie Region and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) on Submerged munitions in the Baltic Sea – environmental, security and other challenges on 4 October at 15:00-16:30 EEST. HELCOM’s Executive Secretary Rüdiger Strempel will be one of the speakers in the workshop.

Additionally, HELCOM will showcase its work related to maritime spatial planning (MSP) and hazardous substances at the expo area of the Networking Village on 5 October, which will take place at the Small Guild.

For more information about the forum and HELCOM’s presence there, please visit the event page.

Earlier this year, HELCOM joined a new initiative aimed at easing the lives of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) planners, while supporting sustainable use of human and natural capital in the Baltic Sea Region. The EU-funded Baltic Sea2Land project focuses on addressing the complexity of land-sea interactions and the overlapping jurisdictions of various public authorities, necessitating multi-level governance.

Manuel Frias, who coordinates the project at HELCOM, explains the project’s goal with a metaphor: “Public authorities, together with Sustainable Blue Economy sectors such as fishery and tourism, can be likened to a sailing boat, where the many stakeholders act as the ship’s crew. They must collaborate effectively to avoid collisions and navigate towards their intended destination. To ensure smooth sailing through these stormy land-sea interaction waters, a guiding system, a navigator, is required.”

The key output of the project is the Sea2Land Navigator, a tailored platform providing guidance and decision-making support for public authorities and Sustainable Blue Economy stakeholders, particularly MSP planners at various levels and competences.

“Land-sea interactions in Maritime Spatial Planning are difficult to grasp. We are designing a decision-making tool that will make the life of an MSP planner easier”, Frias says.

Led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia, the project has 13 partners and six associated organisations from six countries in the Baltic Sea Region, including ministries, regional planning authorities, representatives of cities, and NGOs, and international actors.  HELCOM takes the lead in two activities, which focus on coordinating the design and development of the Sea2Land Navigator.

Funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. HELCOM’s share of the 3.45 million € budget is 267.500€.

Find out more about the project here.