Guidelines for Recommendation 15/1

GUIDELINES FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS INFLUENCED BY THE BALTIC SEA AND THEIR INLAND LIMITS AS AN IMPLEMENTATION OF ART. 15 IN THE "CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE BALTIC SEA AREA, 1992"

1. The Contracting Parties should apply the following criteria for identifying the coastal ecosystems influenced by the Baltic Sea and their inland limits according to Art. 15 of the 1992 Helsinki Convention:

1.1 The coastal ecosystems mentioned above include at least

a) all coastal nature types, biotopes and geomorphological structures listed in the Attachment,

b) all single islands up to the size of 1000 hectares,

c) all river mouth areas, river banks, wetlands and wet forests in riverine areas and all sections of rivers which are influenced by backwater effects caused by the Baltic Sea;

1.2 For practical reasons in cases where the extent of coastal ecosystems is difficult to define according to a) - c) a strip extending in a width of 10 kilometres at the most inland from the coastal mean water line is taken for a working area with respect to Art.15.

2. An inland limitation extending beyond 1.1 a) - c) may be defined individually by the Contracting Parties. The definite area may be pictured in maps for national implementation, where appropriate.

3. The Commission notes that the identification of coastal ecosystems is made exclusively for the purpose of implementation of Art. 15 of the Convention.

Attachment

"Some types of coastal biotopes and nature types that are influenced by the Baltic Sea area and that are in the field of application of Art. 15 of the 1992 Helsinki Convention"

1. islets, skerries and archipelagos

2. boulder beaches

3. rocky shores

4. active cliffs, inactive cliffs and coastal caves

5. sand banks, bars and spits

6. beaches of sand, pebbles and shingles

7. coastal dunes in different stages of soil and vegetation successional stages

8. beach ridges

9. large spits of land separating haffs from the Baltic Sea

10. reed stands

11. areas of land-elevation consisting of former marine substrates under marine influence

12. coastal lakes, pools and rock pools under marine influence

13. coastal wetlands (salt marshes, mires, swamps, etc.)

14. coastal salt meadows

15. coastal dry grasslands up to 1 km from mean water line

16. wet forests under marine influence

17. coastal forests up to 1 km from mean water line.