News » Ten actions on our Christmas "wishlist" to save the Baltic Sea

Ten actions on our Christmas "wishlist" to ensure Ministers deliver a concrete plan to save the Baltic Sea

As the end of the year approaches, children and adults alike, will bewriting their wish lists in the hopes that they might get a present onChristmas Eve. We, the Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF Baltic EcoregionProgramme, have a special wish this year: a Baltic Sea Action Plan(BSAP) with a focus on real actions to significantly improve the stateof the Baltic Sea. We propose to start with ten things that Ministersshould do to ensure that the Baltic gets the action plan it deserves.

So far, the Baltic Sea Action Plan has not met any of the four goalsthat were set back in 2007 [1] In our view, it needs a revolutionaryupdate in order to fulfill any of the pre-existing goals, let alone anyadditional ones that are added during the update process [2]. Theupdated plan needs to be more than just a plan ? it needs concreteactions that deliver measurable results.

Here are ten actions that all Ministers can do to ensure that Baltic Sea region gets the action plan it deserves:

1. Adopt an ecosystem-based approach to marine management as afundamental principle for the entire plan and all activities, to ensurethe region is managed as a whole rather than separate components.
2. Replace all ?recommendations? with ?committed actions?.
3. Includeactions to address Climate Change, with no allowance of humanactivities which cause for an overshoot of 1,5 °C global warmingthreshold.
4. Apply scientific knowledge and data on the potentialrisks and impacts associated with marine investments, as well as adoptindicators to monitor maritime sectors.
5. Apply best practices to reduce and mitigate the impact of continuous underwater noise throughout the Baltic Sea Area.
6. Nomore ?paper parks? ? ensure that Marine Protected Areas areeffectively implemented and protected with comprehensive managementplans that address all cumulative stressors that impact the MPAsbiodiversity.
7. Ensure the plan links food webs and interspeciesconsiderations to rebuilding fish stocks to reach a stable size and agestructure as well as resilient levels of biomass.
8. Promote thedrastic reduction of nutrient run-off, including improved management ofnutrient balanced fertilisation as a required measure for all farms.
9. Wastecollection and filtration of pharmaceutical residues should bemandatory in all Countries, coupled with Extended Producer?sResponsibility and wide public awareness in off-and online pharmaciesand healthcare institutions.
10. Ensure all ports have adequate reception facilities for ship-generated sewage and wastewater.

?The state of our oceans and seas is alarming. We can and must turnthe tide on the downward spiral of biodiversity loss. Now more thanever, we need concrete implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan byall Baltic Sea countries in order to avoid continued loss of species andhabitats that are symbolic of and essential to this brackish sea. We,in the NGO community, send this wishlist to all Baltic countries topropel them to take the lead and make the updated action plan ambitiousand action-oriented. HELCOM has the platform and passion to empowerchange and save our loved Baltic sea?, says the Coalition Clean Balticand the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

It is the responsibility of the national governments and Ministersinvolved in the update process to ensure that the action planeffectively benefits both people and nature. In light of the highly disappointing outcomes from COP25[3], we can not help but wonder ? will a Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)be more than a plan or will that remain on our Christmas wish list againnext year?

Note to editors:

CCB ? CoalitionClean Baltic is a politicallyindependent, non-profit association, whichunites 22 memberorganizations and 2 observers, with over 850,000members in allcountries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB isto promote theprotection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environmentand itsnatural resources. More info at www.ccb.se.

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme ? is an ambitious andhighly influential force working to conserve and restore the health ofthe Balitc Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners ineach of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region?slargest membership network, the programme?s approach has been to workwith public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy,productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management.More info at: panda.org/baltic

[1] The HELCOM State of the Baltic Sea Report ? showsthat despite a few promising trends in the last 12 years, theobjectives of the current BSAP have not been reached and countries havemissed the 2020 deadline ? outlined in the European Union?s Marine Strategy Framework Directive ? to achieve and maintain a ?Good Environmental Status? in the sea.
[2] The update process ? An updated plan is currentlybeing developed and negotiated by the ten HELCOM members ? the nineBaltic Sea countries plus the European Union ? and is due to be adoptedat a Ministerial Meeting 2021. Its focus will be on the same areas asthe current plan with some adaptation to include additional pressuresfrom human activities including: climate change, eutrophication,hazardous substances and litter, sea-based activities and achieve ahealthy and resilient ecosystem. It will also address emerging issues tobe tackled on a regional scale such as, marine litter, underwater noiseand seabed disturbance.
[3] Coalition Clean Baltic climate change report