HELCOM releases the first ever comprehensive Atlas of the Baltic Sea

Helsinki, 2 June (HELCOM Information Service) – HELCOM has released the first ever comprehensive Atlas of the Baltic Sea. This book is an immense resource for all who have an interest in regional environment. It provides a quick insight into the environmental issues affecting the Baltic Sea today, while also serving as a useful foundation for a wider study of the Baltic marine environment.

“At a time when the environment is a major concern for us, it is helpful to know as much as possible about the sea,” says Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “The more we know about the sea, the more we cherish it and realize the need to protect it. We hope that readers will find this Atlas a useful reference that will encourage greater interest in marine environment protection.”

The first copies of the Atlas were presented to the Ministers of the Environment and Senior Officials of the HELCOM Members, including the EU, at the Moscow HELCOM Ministerial Meeting on 20 May.

The information provided by the Atlas draws on the latest HELCOM assessments, which form the backbone of the Commission's work providing objective information on the health of the Baltic Sea, and helping to define the need for further environmental actions. The assessments are a result of joint work by many scientific institutions and dozens of experts from all the coastal countries around the Baltic Sea.

Collected in a single publication, here is a wealth of interesting and useful information about the Baltic Sea, the environmental problems facing it and the solutions needed in order to restore its health. Furthermore, the book includes information about what has already been accomplished in terms of protection of the Baltic marine environment. This 192-page book features thematic chapters providing basic information on the physical characteristics of the Baltic Sea, human activities and associated pressures, status of the marine environment, as well as climate change. These sections of the Atlas are lavishly illustrated by thematic maps and diagrams and contain pictures and drawings which display complex environmental information in a simplified way. Additionally, the Atlas features a set of political, physical and maritime maps covering all the Baltic drainage area and the sea sub-basins, as well as city through-route maps and centre plans of major cities. The content has been designed to provide maps on scales that enable a wealth of details to be presented.

The book can be considered as a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in the Baltic marine life and the present state of the environment of the sea. It is a non-commercial publication intended for schools, libraries, universities, marine centers, policy-makers and the scientific community.

The authors and editors of the book are members of the HELCOM Secretariat with Nikolay Vlasov as the editor-in-chief. The overall layout of the book is designed by Petri Kuokka and Leena Hemming, drawings were done by Seppo Leinonen from Finland, and major maps were produced by Collins Bartholomew Ltd. from the UK.

For more information and to order the book, please visit www.helcom.fi/press_office/en_GB/bookorder/.

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," known as the Helsinki Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)46 850 9196

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi