2nd Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
Actions to protect the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea
Introduction by Ms. Katarzyna Roszkowska, Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Poland
The healthy Baltic Sea means diverse biological components functioning in balance. This leads to the good ecological status. At the same time, healthy Baltic Sea highly depends on a favourable status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity.
Due to the specific brackish conditions, natural biodiversity in the Baltic Sea is low. Furthermore, it is affected by several human activities. Excess input of nutrients has changed water quality and hazardous substances have accumulated in the biota. Some species are directly threatened e.g. due to overexploitation by fisheries and many species suffer from the destruction of habitats, caused by e.g. coastal developments, extraction of gravel, dredging or other intensive activities on the seabed. The probability for environmental hazards caused by severe oil spills is continuously rising with increasing shipping in the Baltic Sea. In addition, intensive maritime traffic throughout the world has resulted in the introduction of many non-native species.
Together with the estimated effects of global warming, all these pressures might pose increasing hazards to biodiversity in the future. At the same time, protection should not prevent the sustainable use of the ecosystem good and services by current and future generations.
Since multitude of human actions have impacts on biodiversity, the goal “favourable status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity” can not be reached without taking into account other ecological objectives under the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, such as preventing introduction of alien species, having healthy wildlife as well as natural levels of algal blooms, distribution and occurrence of plant and animals, and oxygen levels. Therefore the favourable status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity will not be achieved without having Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication, Baltic Sea life undisturbed by hazardous substances and Maritime activities carried out in an environmentally friendly way.
None of the goals can be achieved without a holistic approach, which is taking into account all relevant pressures. The status of Baltic Sea biodiversity highly depends on the other parts of Baltic Sea Action Plan which define the most important human pressures. Therefore the biodiversity should be in the core of the HELCOM’s vision of the healthy sea, and in the core of the BSAP. This segment can also serve as a controlling element for the performance of the whole Action Plan
Three ecological objectives were proposed under the biodiversity segment of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. Starting from the most general one the Natural Landscapes and seascapes which should be implemented at the landscape level and going into more detailed ones such as Thriving and balanced communities of plants and animals to protect habitats and biotopes and Viable populations of species to protect particular, important and thratened or declining species.
Natural Landscapes and Seascapes aims mainly at maintaining and restoring natural marine, coastal and adjacent terrestrial landscapes in the whole Baltic Sea. The most important target to achieve this ecological objective, is to have ecologically coherent and well managed network of coastal and offshore Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPA’s), Natura 2000 areas and Emerald sites in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, very important is to have the broad scale zoning template for the Baltic Sea area to protect the coastal zone and offshore areas by reducing conflicting human activities. In order to achieve the targets, the already established Natura 2000 areas and Emerald sites should be designated as BSPAs, also new protected areas should be proposed and designated, especially within EEZ. Activities aims at preparation of a broad scale zoning template for the Baltic Sea area and testing the zoning approach for the implementation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, should be continued and developed.
Some actions has been fulfilled already. The network of Baltic Sea Protected Areas has been established. The new, important sites as future potential candidates for BSPAs, were identified by HELCOM.
Thriving and balanced communities of plants and animals aims at reaching and maintaining the natural structure and distribution pattern of biological communities, especially habitat forming species such as Bladder wrack, Stoneworts, Blue mussel and Eelgrass. It aims also at preventing new introductions of non-indigenous species.
In order to achieve the aims, IMO Balast Water Convention should ratified. The co-operation with other marine conventions should be established in order to prevent new introductions of non-indigenous species. The marine habitats formed by the four main habitat forming species, should be identified and mapped.
Already, the information on non-indigenous species and their vectors, has been well adressed. Also the List of Threatened and Declining Habitats and Biotopes has been prepared by HELCOM, but it needs to be updated.
Viable populations of species focus on reaching and maintaining favourable status of the key species such as seals, harbour porpoise, white tailed eagle, salmon, cod as well as threatened and declining species. Secondly, it is also very important to have the fish stocks which are managed within safe biological limits.
In order to guarantee long term viability of commercial fish stocks, HELCOM should establish a dialogue and co-operation with EC and other relevant fisheries authorities/bodies. The stakeholder dialogue with Baltic Regional Advisory Council and other relevant bodies should be also developed in order to avoid potential and mitigate existing conflicts between fisheries and protection of threatened and declining species. Further, protection and proper management of such species as Baltic seals and salmon should be ensured.
Many activities aiming at achieving this ecological objectives has been done already, some of them still needs to be further elaborated and developed. Several HELCOM recommendations aims at protection of particular species, has been established. The Jastarnia Plan for the protection of Harbour porpoise is supported by HELCOM. Also, the prioryty list of threatened and/or declining species and a complete Red list of fish and lamprey species for the Baltic Sea, has been adopted. HELCOM efforts in cooperation with Baltic Sea Fishery Commission has resulted in an increase in wild salmon production. EC also took some steps in order to guarantee long term viability of commercial fish species.
To summarize, the most important actions which should be indicated by nature protection segment of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, and further implemented for the whole Baltic Sea Region are:
- to develop broad scale zoning template and to test the zoning approach for the management of human activities in the coastal and offshore areas of the Baltic Sea;
- to establish and designate additional marine protected areas;
- to ensure the stakeholder dialogue in order to avoid potential and mitigate existing conflicts between fisheries and protection of threatened and declining species;
- to implement measures in order to protect threatened and declining species as well as key species.
Baltic Sea Action Plan presented during this second Stakeholder Conference is not the final one, therefore the outcome, the comments from the paricipants and different stakeholders will be very valuable.
Thank you.