About » PROTECTED AREAS OF THE BALTIC SEA
The following environmentalprotection zones have been set up across the Baltic Sea:
- NATURA2000 sites in the Baltic Sea environment (anetwork of protected zonesin the EU, established under Directive 2009/147/ECon the conservation ofwild birds andCouncil Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation ofnatural habitats andof wild fauna and flora),
- Wetlandreserves established under the RamsarConvention on Wetlands (to protectand maintain wetlands, together withpopulations of residing andmigratory birds),
- UNESCOBiosphere reserves (protected areas of preciousnatural resourcesestablished under the UNESCO MAB programme, promotingsolutions forreconciliation of biodiversity and sustainable use of resources),
- BalticSea Protected Areas (BSPA), according to HELCOMRecommendation 15/5(1994), to protect representative ecosystems of the Balticand toguarantee sustainable use of natural resources),
- BalticSea Fisheries Closures - closed fisheries setup by the CouncilRegulation(EC) No2187/2005, where fishing is prohibited with active gearall year long; CodFisheries Closures - areas established under theCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007, where it is prohibited toconductany cod fishing activity from 1 May to 31 October),
- Environmentalprotection at national level (in Poland - national parks, naturereserves, landscape parks, landscape protection areas,ecological areas,nature and landscape complexes),
- Non-protectedprecious areas (national andinternational wildlife corridors, bufferareas, bio-centres, core areas/nodalareas, i.e. elements of the EuropeanEcological Network, which is a large areasystem of core areas of thebest preserved nature and representative fordifferent natural regions ofthe country, which are interconnected byecological corridorssafeguarding continuity of natural relations within thesystem).
Biodiversitystatus of different regions of the BalticSea based on HELCOMBiodiversity Assessment Tool (BEAT) - blue to green areasrepresent anacceptable biodiversity status; yellow, orange and red areasindicatepoor biodiversity (HELCOM Map and Data Service, 2011)
Distributionand ecological preferences (light blue - typical salt water species;dark blue - intermediate/fresh waterspecies; red - typical fresh waterspecies) of the fauna and flora of the Baltic Sea (photo by P. Kuokka)
Fauna and flora of the Baltic Sea: top left - lagoon cockle /Cerastoderma glaucum(photo by Wikipedia), top right - Atlantic cod/Gadus morhua (photo by Hans-Petter Fjeld), bottom left - bladderwrack/Fucus vesiculosus (photo byStemonitis), bottom right - common jellyfish/Aurelia aurita (photo by Wikipedia)
International protectionareas of the Baltic Sea (HELCOM Map and Data Service, 2011):
NATURA 2000 sites
Baltic Sea Protected Areas (designated - dark green, designated/administrated - light green)
UNESCO sites (Biosphere reserves - blue, World Cultural Heritage Sites -yellow, World Natural Heritage Sites - black), wetlands (red)
Baltic Sea Fisheries Closures (brown) and Cod Fisheries Closures (blue)