HELCOM to explore ways to strengthen the protection of Baltic species and habitats

Helsinki, 20 May (HELCOM Information Service) – The HELCOM Nature Protection and Biodiversity Group (HELCOM HABITAT) will convene its 13th regular meeting on 24-27 May in Copenhagen to discuss new and ongoing projects and programmes to halt the decline in biodiversity and to protect the endangered species and biotopes in the Baltic marine area.

“The topmost issue on the Agenda is the assessment of the threat status of Baltic Sea species and biotopes,” says Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “Experts from the Baltic Sea countries will have a look at the progress of work in the listing of species occurring in the Baltic Sea and the creation and updating of red lists of threatened species and biotopes of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the Meeting will discuss measures for strengthening the network of marine protected areas,” says Brusendorff.

The Meeting will review draft checklists of species of macrophytes, benthic invertebrates and fish and lamprey species which occur or have occurred in the Baltic Sea. These checklists are the first products from a project that has been established to develop or update lists of threatened species of the Baltic Sea. The draft checklist of macrophytes includes 540 species of macroalgae, aquatic vascular plants and bryophytes, the list of benthic invertebrates contains nearly 1800 macrozoobenthic species and over 200 species of fish and lampreys. The draft lists also include information on the distribution of these species in the different Baltic Sea sub-basins.

To fulfill the task to create red lists of threatened species, as required by the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, the Meeting will consider a draft HELCOM Red List of breeding birds. It gives an assessment for 53 species breeding in the Baltic Sea area with a distinct relationship to the marine or coastal environment.

In addition, the Meeting will consider activities needed for completing a classification of Baltic Sea biotopes. An ecologically meaningful classification is needed not only for the purposes of threat status assessments but overall, for management and spatial planning of marine areas.

Experts are expected to discuss further actions to secure the establishment of an ecologically coherent network of Baltic Sea Protected Areas. Although the goal of protecting 10% of every ecoregion set by the Convention on Biological Diversity was reached for the Baltic Sea in 2010, the network still has gaps. These gaps are recurrent especially in off-shore areas and certain sub-basins. In addition, the network carries a heavy burden caused by ship traffic, fishing and nutrient enrichment. The Meeting will consider solutions for complementing the existing network in such a way that it would provide protection for threatened and declining species and biotopes, include a larger span of the off-shore area and, when scientifically justified, cover at least 10% of all sub-basins. Designations of additional protected areas are expected to be finalized by the HABITAT Group in 2012.  

The 2010 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting set out a task to improve the management of protected areas by 2015. There is still a deficiency in the way they are managed. Many of the protected areas lack plans or measures for proper management and numerous human activities with potential for disturbing the nature are still allowed. The Meeting will review progress in the development and application of management measures and plans for the already established protected areas.

In addition, the Meeting will explore ways to establish deeper cooperation in the management of fisheries in Baltic marine protected areas. The Meeting will consider an idea of a project that would assess to what extent fisheries impose a threat to the conservation objectives and what are the impacts of different types of fishing methods on various protected habitats and communities. This activity is also a response to the task put forward by the HELCOM ministers in 2010 to further assess the environmentally negative impacts of fishing activities with the aim, as a first step, to consider the exclusion of the use of certain techniques in marine protected areas.

The Meeting will also review progress in mapping of habitats and the development of underwater landscapes carried out by the Baltic Sea countries. The specific natural conditions of the Baltic Sea require attention when maritime spatial planning is conducted and good knowledge of Baltic marine habitats, communities and species is a prerequisite for well-informed planning.

Additionally, the Meeting will discuss the implementation and status of HELCOM Recommendations under HELCOM HABITAT, and the Recommendation on the conservation of seals in the Baltic Sea will be put under a particular scrutiny.

The Meeting will be conducted by the Chair of HELCOM HABITAT, Ms. Katarzyna Kaminska, Poland.

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 and to ensure safety of navigation.

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.

HELCOM HABITAT, which is one of the HELCOM Working Groups, works to conserve and protect biodiversity, species and habitats and promote the sustainable use of living marine resources, and to ensure that the need for environmental protection is duly considered in different activities that affect the marine environment, by using tools such as spatial planning and environmental impact assessments.

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