Preserving biodiversity - HELCOM in action

The 1992 Helsinki Convention was the first regional agreement ever to cover international marine nature conservation over the entire Baltic Sea area in its Article 15. Today, the HELCOM Nature Protection and Biodiversity Group (HELCOM HABITAT) takes care of nature protection and marine spatial planning issues.

Protected areas

The most threatened habitats and species are dependent on legal protection. In 1995, 62 marine and coastal areas were designated as Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs) by HELCOM Recommendation 15/5 “System of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas. To date the HELCOM member states have designated a total of 90 BSPAs. Millions of seabirds use these areas as staging posts during migration, and more than 30 species breed in them. But very few of the designated areas have been fully incorporated into the system yet, even though many are also otherwise protected in theory. Progress is also needed with the designation of additional offshore areas for enhanced protection.

 

	Take a closer look at the Baltic Sea Protected Areas on our special atlas! Search the HELCOM BSPA Database for a wide range of information on Baltic Sea Protected Areas. The Database contains information on 111 sites, of which 90 are notified and designated by the Contracting States as BSPAs. Learn more about the Baltic Sea Protected Areas through the recently published HELCOM book Pearls of the Baltic Sea

 

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) was adopted in November 2007 with an overall aim to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021. For marine biodiversity and nature protection, the action plan has the goal of achieving “favourable conservation status of marine biodiversity”. This is in line with corresponding goals and objectives of already existing regulations at EU and global levels. In order to monitor and assess progress towards favourable conservation status of biodiversity, HELCOM has adopted Ecological Objectives together with proposed actions and a set of targets and preliminary indicators.

Since a multitude of human activities have impacts on biodiversity and the biodiversity serves as a holistic controlling element for the performance of the whole Baltic Sea Action Plan - the goal “favourable conservation status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity” cannot be reached without a broad consideration of human activities and needs for strong actions in other segments. Reduced eutrophication will decrease algal blooms, suffocating growth of filamentous littoral algae and anoxic bottoms, and making possible the natural distribution and occurrence of natural marine landscapes, habitats, and plant and animal species. Minimised concentrations of hazardous substances in the biota are a prerequisite for a healthy wildlife, i.e. viable populations in the Baltic Sea. Enhancing the safety of navigation will decrease the probability of environmental stress caused by minor and severe oil spills. Actions aiming at prevention of pollution from ships as well as the prevention of introduction of alien species are needed to reach favourable conservation status.

In order to reach the targets and objectives associated with the favourable conservation status of Baltic Sea biodiversity, HELCOM is working to:

• develop principles for broad-scale, cross-sectoral, marine spatial planning principles based on the Ecosystem Approach

• improve the protection efficacy of the BSPA network

• increase knowledge on and protection of Baltic Sea marine habitats, communities and species

• increase cooperation between the competent fisheries and nature protection authorities of the HELCOM Contracting States, as well as the Baltic Regional Advisory Council (RAC) and the European Community

Many specific measures and actions have been identified for improving the conservation status of Baltic Sea biodiversity. See the BSAP for details on these actions and measures.

Projects

To assist in the implementation of the action plan, HELCOM currently has several projects dedicated to nature protection. The HELCOM BIO project is currently working on a thematic assessment of the status of biological diversity in the Baltic Sea, and is expected to be competed in the end of 2008. The HELCOM SCALE project is developing broad-scale marine spatial planning principles for the Baltic Sea area, in order to identify common guidelines for seeking spatial solutions to conflicting interests in the use and protection of marine resources and areas.

The HELCOM FISH project will improve knowledge about occurrence, distribution, population and threat and/or decline on coastal fish and lamprey species including all andromous species, providing information that can be used as expert proposals for restoration programmes and measures for the most threatened and/or declining coastal fish species. The HELCOM FISH project will provide input to another HELCOM project which is working to update and elaborate on HELCOM Red Lists of species as well as habitats and biotopes.

With the increase of maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea, alien species are also a very real problem, with the recent invasion by the American comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi) being a clear example. In an effort to address the issue, the HELCOM Contracting Parties have agreed to work towards ratification of the 2004 International Convention for Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) preferably by 2010, but in all cases not later than 2013. A HELCOM roadmap towards ratification and harmonised implementation of the BWM Convention was adopted in November 2007. As part of this road map, HELCOM is developing a HELCOM List of non-indigenous and cryptogenic species in the Baltic Sea as well as a list of HELCOM Target Species.

Earlier work

Earlier HELCOM work in the field of nature protection and biodiversity has contributed to the steady increase over recent decades in the breeding success rates of top predators such as the white-tailed eagle and the three Baltic seal species. These species, however, still face health problems, with sterility levels high among young ringed seals.

HELCOM has also been involved in efforts to restore the sturgeon in the wild. And together with the International Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission, IBSFC (which no longer exists) a joint Baltic Salmon Action Plan was set up to protect the Baltic wild salmon (Salmo salar) from reduction in its genetic diversity – caused by artificial breeding.

 

	Coastal and marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea region Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Pearls of the Baltic Sea HELCOM Guidelines for the management of Baltic Sea Protected Areas Fact sheets on endangered species as well as habitats and biotopes in the Baltic Sea Assessment of Coastal Fish in the Baltic Sea (2006, BSEP 103A) Changing Communities of Baltic Coastal Fish (2006, BSEP 103B) Biovolumes and Size-Classes of Phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea (2006, BSEP 106) Checklist of Baltic Sea Phytoplankton Species (2004, BSEP 95) Also see HELCOM indicator fact sheets with latest information about pressures to and status of the Baltic Sea

 

	HELCOM Red Lists Red list of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes of the Baltic Sea, Belt Sea and Kattegat (1998, BSEP 75) HELCOM Red list of threatened and declining species of lampreys and fishes of the Baltic Sea (2007, BSEP 109) HELCOM List of threatened and/or declining species and biotopes/habitats in the Baltic Sea area (2007, BSEP 113)