HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 13/12 

Adopted 6 February 1992, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention

MANAGING FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS FOR RETENTION OF NUTRIENTS

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING Paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974 (Helsinki Convention), in which the Contracting Parties undertake to take all appropriate measures to control and minimize land-based pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area,

HAVING REGARD also to Article 3 of the Helsinki Convention, in which the Contracting Parties shall individually or jointly take all appropriate legislative, administrative or other relevant measures to prevent and abate pollution,

RECALLING FURTHER the Ministerial Declaration of 1988 and the Baltic Sea Declaration of 1990, calling, inter alia, for a substantive reduction of the inputs caused by diffuse sources,

RECOGNIZING the fact that a substantial part of the eutrophication problems observed in the Baltic Sea Area is caused by nutrient inputs from diffuse sources,

DESIRING to limit this pollution,

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties that increased nutrient retention in freshwater systems should be considered through, e.g.:

(i)programmes for re-establishing wetlands and smaller lakes;

(ii)plugging of drainage pipes in abandoned meadows;

(iii)allowing natural and re-establishing of the meandering of watercourses, inter alia, taking into account the infrastructure, by means of a combination of green fallowing and the restoration of watercourses;

(iv)introduction of environmentally sound practices for weed mowing and maintenance of watercourses;

(v)programmes should be developed and action taken to implement the above mentioned measures and to report on the effect of these measures or any other measures taken to reduce nutrient discharges,

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the action taken by the Contracting Parties, e.g. economic incentives, recommendations, regulations, agricultural advice, should be reported to the Commission in 1994 and thereafter every three years.