WWF - Baltic Ecoregion Programme

WWF comments on the adoption of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy: “An important step towards a healthy Baltic Sea.”

2009-10-29

WWF has closely followed and been active in the development of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and welcomes the intention to create an integrated strategy to achieve both sustainable development and a healthy environment. WWF believes that the strategy creates a unique opportunity to secure a more integrated approach to the management of the sea and its resources.

“Yet, to ensure that the Strategy isn’t just another lofty declaration which says much on paper but delivers little in practice, it must be given the utmost priority at the highest political level and involve all sectors in an integrated process in order for the strategy to be successfully implemented, says Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

The macro-regional strategy, the first of its kind within Europe, is scheduled to be adopted today by the European Council at its meeting in Brussels. The added value of the Baltic Sea Strategy, beyond that of existing agreements, is its aim to achieve a more integrated approach to the management of the Baltic Sea. To be successfully implemented, this strategy must help overcome the current chaotic situation of overlapping competencies and authorities, which has lead to a situation where conflicting interests from different sectors are acting against each other rather than synergistically. The Strategy, however, still lacks adequate environmental targets to ensure a future healthy Baltic Sea.

“We hope that the countries around the Baltic Sea will now use the adoption of this strategy as an opportunity to make the necessary national arrangements to ensure integration of sea use planning and management when implementing the Strategy”, says Pauli Merriman.

“The eutrophication of the sea, caused by the excessive use of nutrients in farming, and overfishing are the two most serious threats to the Baltic Sea”, says Pauli Merriman. “It is therefore especially important that the governments in each country ensure that fisheries and agriculture policies are integrated into the strategy and that the overall implementation of the strategy is based on an ecosystem approach. This is the only way we will achieve both an integrated sustainable development and healthy environment.”

For more information on WWF and the Baltic Sea Strategy, see the attached position paper, or contact:
Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Progamme
Tel. +46 767 886 185
Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Editors Note:

WWF’s Position on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
WWF has closely followed and been active in the development of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and welcomes the intention to create an integrated strategy, across countries and policy areas, to achieve both sustainable development and a healthy environment. WWF believes that the strategy, as currently envisioned, creates a unique opportunity to secure a more integrated approach to management of the sea and its resources.

The fact that it is an EU strategy, and the high political backing it is expected to gain when adopted by the Council, will hopefully ensure a higher level of implementation of the agreed actions. It also offers a unique opportunity to forcefully strengthen the implementation of already existing conventions and agreements such as the HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and EU directives.

In order to go beyond rhetoric, however, and actually achieve a truly integrated approach to the challenges facing the Baltic Sea the strategy must:
1. recognize that a healthy Baltic Sea is the basis for a prosperous and attractive Baltic Sea region and take an ecosystem-based approach to the management of the sea. All human activities taking place in the Baltic Sea must be governed by, and kept within the limits of, what the ecosystem can sustain. The ecosystem approach must be the underlying principle on which the entire strategy is based.

2. secure a strong integration between sectors, countries and administrative levels. A much stronger integration has to be secured between the strategy’s 4 objectives to avoid again creating a patchwork of separate actions and instead form one integrated strategy.

3. address the key challenges of the Baltic Sea, such as the depletion of fisheries and the nutrient pollution through agriculture, through the relevant European policies: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The strategy must be strongly integrated with the relevant sectoral EU policies and the Baltic Sea states must jointly work for the establishment of long term, sustainable fisheries and agriculture policies (CAP and CFP) without harmful or misdirected subsidies.

4. recognize that maritime spatial planning is a critical tool when planning for and managing our uses of the sea. Maritime spatial planning is a concrete way to achieve both sustainable development and ecosystem protection through an integrated process and provides many benefits to both industry and nature conservation. A Baltic wide planning process and a regional platform for coordination of maritime spatial planning based on regionally adapted and agreed joint principles should be established in the region. WWF’s Position on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

5. secure a strong governance and implementation mechanism. As the strategy will not provide any new money, organizations or legislations, the strategy will need to find other ways to secure that the critical actions in the strategy will be implemented. WWF believes that:

a. existing resources in the region, e.g. subsidies and funding programmes, need to be focused on the priority actions in the strategy (financial incentives for farmers and fishermen should be created to adjust their businesses to align better with the long-term health of the Baltic Sea and the region surrounding it.)

b. to overcome the competency issues between sectors and give the strategy the status it deserves, the responsibility and accountability for the implementation of the strategy must be given to the European Council;

c. the European Commission must have a very strong role and make use of all possible means to secure implementation.

A strong EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase a truly integrated approach to conservation and sustainable development and create a region to be proud of!

New catch of young cod threatens the Baltic stocks

2009-10-16

European fisheries ministers are about to adopt new measures that may put the recovery of the Baltic Sea cod stocks at risk. The proposal now on the table will reduce the minimum legal size of caught cod from 38 to 35 centimetres. According to scientists, Baltic cod does not reach reproductive maturity until it is 42-50 centimetres.

The Baltic fisheries ministers came together this month to sign the Stockholm Declaration where one of the aims is to combat discards in the Baltic fisheries. WWF welcomes the Baltic Member States’ aim to stop the present dumping of cod, so called discards, of under-sized cod. However, later in a closed meeting, Denmark proposed to reduce the minimum landing size in cod trawl fisheries from 38 cm to 35 cm.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES – a scientific body advising the EU) recently advised to increase the 2010 fishing quota for Baltic cod by 15 percent for the eastern stock and 9 percent for the western stock, based on the current minimum landing size of 38 cm. Introducing a new landing size for next year would inhibit a proper evaluation when the cod multi-annual plan is reviewed next year after its three years of implementation. The Danish proposal will likely also cause a larger amount of the cod stock to be caught before it has had a chance to reproduce.

“The EU fisheries ministers should, once and for all, solve the problem of discards in trawl fisheries for the cod to have a continued chance at recovery. To now start fiddling with landing sizes would be to betray the good work that has been done” says Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

According to WWF, the measures introduced so far, like fishing restrictions, recovery plans and technical restrictions will not be sufficient to meet the target of the current Baltic multi-annual cod plan as long as the problem of discards remains unaddressed and until the fleet capacity is adjusted to the fish resource. Only by introducing selective gears and strengthening control in EU fisheries, will the Baltic Member States’ stop this wasteful practice and guarantee a full recovery for Baltic cod stocks.

For more information, please contact:
Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 73 274 58 67
Email. ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se

Editors note:

WWF wants to see an end to the wasteful practice of discarding and see fish stocks return to healthy levels, so fishing can become profitable and sustainable. Discards in the European fleet are essentially a symptom of a poor management system that has failed to address overcapacity, to impose the use of more selective fishing gears and to set limits based on real catches.

Discards: current setting of annual quotas does not include the amount of fish which are caught in nets and then thrown overboard. This happens when fishermen catch fish for which they don’t have a quota, or when they have already reached their quota. Sometimes they get rid off less valuable but healthy and marketable fish to provide storage for bigger specimens.

In order to deliver a discard reduction, Minimum Landing Size could be replaced with a
Minimum Catch Size (MCS), which can be achieved with selective gear. WWF believes that, if
enforced effectively, this will disincentive the capture of small fish and will avoid new markets
opening up for undersized fish.

On the 1st of October, fisheries ministers from the countries around the Baltic Sea met and signed a declaration on how the countries together could solve the problems of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea. One of the aims of the declaration was to develop a roadmap in 2010 for the Baltic cod fishery to eradicate discards.

The Green paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy opens a consultation with all involved parties that will last until 31 December 2009. Following the consultation, the EU Commission will present a proposal for a reformed CFP policy that should be finally adopted in 2012 and enter into force in 2013.

WWF urges European governments and the Commission to craft a new policy for European fisheries, and in the meanwhile, act to implement effective control and enforcement to tackle illegal fishing and set sustainable quotas for all commercial fish stocks in the Baltic

WWF would like to see all fishing vessels adopt more selective gears from the outset and calls upon the European Union to adopt a new policy that will deliver the systematic reduction of current discard levels until its elimination.

Baltic Sea protection by surrounding states still very poor- WWF report

2009-09-03

Stockholm - Baltic Sea states are still failing to deal with decades of environmental mismanagement in the Baltic Sea, where intense human activity has made it one of the world’s most threatened marine ecosystems, WWF’s Baltic Sea Scorecards report shows.

Home to rich levels of biodiversity and wildlife, the Baltic Sea is a unique marine ecosystem which also sustains the livelihoods and economies of millions of people in the 9 coastal countries that call the region “home”.

Overfishing, irresponsible shipping, industrial exploitation and pressures from agriculture and forestry continue to negatively impact its sensitive environment. The Baltic Sea today is one of the most threatened marine ecosystems on the planet.

WWF’s 2009 Scorecard examines how Baltic Sea states are planning and managing sea resources and whether they are taking necessary steps towards sustainable management.

No country scored the top grade, and only Germany received a B, due to its progress in developing maritime spatial plans for its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone moving ahead of the other countries with its plans for the use of its sea waters. Germany is followed by Denmark, Poland, Finland and Sweden which all received a C.

These countries are all in the early stages of developing a more integrated approach to sea use management.

“The report shows that the management varies widely from country to country – and could be described as a bit of a “patchwork approach”. To be able to solve the complex problems of the Baltic Sea the countries and governments must work jointly across sectors and borders,” said Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of WWF Sweden.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia all received a grade of D because of a lack of evidence of any real results towards an integrated sea use management.

“The Baltic Sea is still one of the most threatened seas in the world. Part of the problem facing the Baltic Sea is the ‘free-for-all’ mentality that still governs our use of the sea”, said Pauli Merriman, Director WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “If we are to succeed in saving our common sea for the future, we desperately need to work across countries, sectors and departments to achieve a more integrated sea use management and a holistic perspective”.

“From an ecosystem perspective, such a relatively small sea like the Baltic cannot be treated as simply a collection of national marine areas. It constitutes, in almost all respects, one single marine ecosystem and should be managed as a whole”, said Pauli Merriman.

WWF Scorecard: Countries lack the tools to save the Baltic Sea

2009-09-02

The countries around the Baltic Sea have not yet developed the systems and institutions that are needed to deal with the complex problems of the Baltic Sea. This was revealed today when WWF released this year’s Baltic Sea Scorecard at its seminar held as a part of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm.

The 2009 Baltic Sea Scorecard examines how countries around the region are currently planning and managing the Baltic Sea and its resources and if they are taking the much-needed steps to move towards a more holistic, integrated and ecosystem-based approach.

“The report shows that the approach to managing the sea varies widely from country to country – and could be described as a bit of a 'patch work approach'”, says Åsa Andersson, Programme Director, Swedish Nature and Baltic Sea Programme, WWF-Sweden.

No country scored the top grade, and only Germany received a B, as it is ahead of the other countries in actually planning for the use of its sea waters. Germany is followed by a group of four countries that all received a C: Denmark, Finland, Poland and Sweden. These countries are all in early stages of developing a more integrated approach to sea use management. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia all received a grade of D because of a lack of evidence of any real results towards an integrated sea use management.

“The Baltic Sea is still one of the most threatened seas in the world. Part of the problem facing the Baltic Sea is the ‘free-for-all’ mentality that still governs our use of the sea”, says Pauli Merriman, Programme Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “If we are to succeed in saving our common sea for the future, we desperately need to work across countries, sectors and departments to achieve a more integrated sea use management – a holistic perspective where all sectors are involved and where all countries in the region work jointly together.”

“From an ecosystem perspective, such a relatively small sea like the Baltic cannot be treated as simply a collection of national marine areas. It constitutes, in almost all respects, one single marine ecosystem and should be managed as a whole” says, Åsa Andersson.

To show that there are signs of hope and to celebrate an important step forward, H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the Foreign Minister of Finland, Alexander Stubb, with this year’s WWF Baltic Sea Leadership Award. Stubb receives the award for taking the initiative within the European Parliament to champion the need for, and benefits of, a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges and opportunities of the Baltic Sea. This initiative resulted in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region which has the potential to address the underlying problems of regional coordination and ongoing management of the Baltic Sea.

“We recognize Alexander Stubb’s leadership as a tireless champion and advocate for realizing the potential of this Strategy to truly make a difference for the Baltic Sea”, says Lasse Gustavsson, CEO, WWF Sweden.

For more information about the Scorecard, the Festival or the Leadership Award, please contact:
Åsa Andersson, Programme Director, Swedish Nature and Baltic Sea Programme, WWF-Sweden
Email. asa.andersson@wwf.se or Tel: +46 70 66 99 290

Lasse Gustavsson, CEO, WWF Sweden
Email. lasse.gustavsson@wwf.se or Tel. +46 70 105 30 55

Pauli Merriman, Programme Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Email: pauli.merriman@wwf.se or Tel. +46 767 886 185

Note to editors:

The 2009 Baltic Sea Scorecard
For the third consecutive year, WWF and its partner organizations around the Baltic Sea have prepared a scorecard to assess how well the nine nations bordering the Baltic Sea are managing to protect and restore this fragile ecosystem to health. While the 2007 Scorecard centered on countries’ efforts to ratify and implement existing international agreements and conventions to manage and protect the Baltic Sea; and last year’s Scorecard focused more on assessing whether the concrete actions, necessary to achieve good environmental status for the Baltic Sea, actually had been accomplished; this year’s scorecard takes a more holistic perspective – focusing on an evaluation of countries overall approach to planning and managing the Baltic Sea. The reason for this focus is that after analyzing the poor results of the last two years, it is clear that, without an integrated approach to sea use management, countries are simply too poorly equipped to adequately address the complex challenges facing the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea Festival
The intention of the sixth Baltic Sea Festival is to bring together people of the Baltic Sea region with an interest in classical music, environment, and the concept of leadership. The Festival takes place between the 28th of August and the 3rd of September in Stockholm. More information on the Festival can be found at: http://www.sr.se/berwaldhallen/

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic Sea Strategy has been developed to meet the need for a more integrated, way of working together – across countries and policy areas – in order to secure a sustainable environment and optimal economic and social development, while making better use of the resources. The Strategy aims at coordinating action by Member States, regions, the EU, pan-Baltic organisations, financing institutions and non-governmental bodies to promote a more balanced development of the Region It is the first time that a comprehensive strategy, covering several European Community policies, is targeted on a ‘macro-region’.

Integrated Sea Use Management
Integrated Sea Use Management is an ecosystem-based approach to sea use management where a healthy ecosystem is seen as the basis of all human activity in and around the sea. It involves the development of coherent marine spatial plans covering local, national and international levels of the Baltic Sea where the plans involve all sectors and all possible current and future uses of the sea and its resources. In Integrated Sea Use Management, environmental policies are integrated with (and have influence on) other relevant policies such as agricultural, maritime and fisheries policies. It also strives to involve all relevant stakeholders in both the planning and the management of sea use.
Integrated Sea Use Management is currently being developed and tested in many parts of the world. Countries are beginning to move forward and are implementing Integrated Sea Use Management including marine spatial planning in some of their sea areas. There are currently many processes ongoing at the European and national levels that provides a window of opportunity for the Baltic Sea Region to take the lead and be the first region in the world to fully implement a multinational Integrated Sea Use Management of an entire sea.

Baltic Sea ports overlook cruise ship waste

2009-07-16

Stockholm, Sweden – Large amounts of sewage from cruise ships likely are being dumped into the Baltic Sea because major ports in the region have failed to upgrade their facilities to dispose of the waste.

Only three of more than 20 cruise ship ports around the Baltic – Helsinki, Stockholm, and Visby – have adequate facilities to handle waste from cruise ships when they dock, even though they bring in millions of euros from tourism.

In a letter sent today, the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Action Programme urges those ports to take action and upgrade their facilities. The 12 most visited cruise ports in the Baltic region are: Gdynia, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Klaipeda, Kiel, Copenhagen, Riga, Rostock, Stockholm, Saint Petersburg, Tallinn and Visby.

“We find it unfair that so many ports are profiting from cruise line tourism but are not prepared to take care of their waste,” said Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “We believe that some of these profits should be used to make needed upgrades to their facilities as it should be the responsibility of any country or city that wants to receive these ships, to offer adequate sewage reception facilities“,

WWF initially contacted ferry lines and cruise ship companies sailing in the Baltic Sea two years ago, asking for a voluntary ban on waste water discharge. That same year, most of the ferry lines responded positively.

In May, many cruise lines, through their umbrella organization, the European Cruise Council (ECC), made a voluntary commitment to stop dumping their waste water in the Baltic Sea “when certain conditions are met”. These conditions included “adequate port reception facilities which operate under a ‘no special fee’ agreement”.

“We are happy that the cruise lines have made this commitment and we believe it is now up to the ports to do their part,” said Anita Mäkinen, Head of Marine Program at WWF Finland. “It’s a scandal if we let this pollution continue.”

WWF also is working within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to push for stronger regulations, which currently allow the discharge of ship waste to international waters. In a paper submitted this week to the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee, WWF urges the IMO to strengthen its regulations regarding the discharge of ship waste in eutrophied semi-closed or closed waters, such as the Baltic.

The Baltic Sea will receive more than 350 cruise ship visits with more than 2,100 port calls this year and the industry is growing by an estimated 13 percent per year.

The waste-water produced in these vessels is estimated to contain 74 tons of nitrogen and 18 tons of phosphorus, substances that add to eutrophication. In addition to excess nutrients, the waste water also contains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, as well as heavy metals.

Retailers around the Baltic Sea are selling products that contribute to eutrophication

2009-07-09

“Retailers around the Baltic Sea have the future of the sea in their hands”, says WWF in letters sent to retailers around the Baltic Sea region, asking them to take detergents containing phosphates off their shelves.

Phosphates have traditionally been used as an active agent in laundry and dishwasher detergents, usually in concentrations of 30-40 percent. Phosphates contain phosphorus which is the main contributor to summer algal blooms. Each kilogram of phosphorus that reaches the sea can produce 500 kilograms of algae. Phosphates from detergents are estimated to contribute between 9 and 24 percent of all anthropogenic phosphorus in the Baltic Sea. Today, there are several alternatives to phosphates on the market.

Already last year, WWF contacted manufacturers of detergents around the Baltic Sea to ask them to voluntarily replace phosphates in their products with other available alternatives. Although some companies agreed to replace phosphates in some products, detergents containing phosphates, particularly dishwashing detergents, are still readily available on the market.

Sweden has already banned phosphates in laundry detergents and is planning to introduce a ban for dishwashing detergents in June 2011. Other countries are slowly following suit and the EU Commission is currently preparing for a total ban in the whole EU. Still, detergents containing phosphates can be found in any supermarket in any country.

“Things are clearly going in the right direction, but way too slow”, says Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “We have a crisis situation in the Baltic Sea and the alternatives are here already. Retailers and their consumers now have a chance to make a real contribution. We really hope that these retail chains will heed our call and take these products off their shelves”.

Several studies have shown that replacing phosphates in detergents is the easiest, fastest and most cost-efficient way to reduce eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. The difference would be substantial and at the same time, the cost of banning phosphates in laundry and dish washing detergents has been characterized as “negligible”.

“Some studies have even shown that a phosphate ban can be an opportunity for industry, as it would create incentives for new technical innovations”, says Pauli Merriman. “For society as a whole the cost would be less than zero – it would be an economic gain!”

“We also urge consumers to put pressure on the retailers and ask for both laundry and dishwasher detergents without phosphates”, Pauli Merriman continues.

For more information, please contact:
Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel: +46 767 886 185
Email: pauli.merriman@wwf.se

WWF announces new ‘Baltic Farmer of the Year’ Award

2009-06-23

Today WWF, together with the Baltic Farmers Forum for the Environment (BFFE) and farmers organizations around the Baltic Sea, launched a competition for a new “Baltic Farmer of the Year Award”. The competition will select one main regional winner from a pool of nine national nominees, representing each Baltic Sea country. A conference will be held at the end of the competition inviting the nine winning nominee farmers from each country to discuss ways in which to advance the application of environmentally friendly farming around the region.

The purpose of the award is to highlight best practices in “Baltic-friendly” farming and to recognize and highlight farmers who are leading in innovative measures to reduce runoff from their farms. There will be a monetary prize awarded to the regional winner of 10 000 Euros. The winners of each national competition will all receive a certificate, a paid trip to the conference, and a nominal monetary prize of 500 Euros.

“We have tried to communicate that the problem with excess nutrient input to the Baltic Sea is largely based on current agricultural policies and not agriculture per se, but farmers have nonetheless been receiving negative attention and are often portrayed as the ‘bad guys’, says Pauli Merriman, Director, Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “With this award, we want to show our support for the agricultural sector, while highlighting good examples from around the region”.

WWF is now accepting applications for the competition from individual farmers, farmers’ organizations and other interested parties. Farmers are encouraged to self-nominate or be nominated by their country’s farmers’ organizations to enter the competition. Award criteria and application forms can be requested from WWF and the deadline for submitting applications is 31 August 2009.

The winners of each national contest and the winner of the regional award will be announced in September this year. WWF will produce a website and conference publication, highlighting the best practices provided by these farmers as well as highlighting the importance of sustainable agriculture to reduce the threat of eutrophication to the Baltic Sea.

Since 2007, the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme has been working intensively on eutrophication issues, with a particular focus on agriculture’s impacts on the Baltic Sea. WWF is committed to reducing the threat of eutrophication to the Baltic Ecosystem and is therefore working to dramatically reduce the inputs of both phosphorus and nitrogen to the sea with a specific focus on promoting the application of environmentally friendly farming practices in order to reduce nutrient runoff to the Baltic Sea.

For more information, please contact:
Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel: +46 767 886 185
Email: pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Subsidies contribute to harming Baltic Sea instead of saving it

2009-06-17

The majority of subsidies given to Baltic Sea fisheries and agriculture have a negative impact on the health of the sea, a new WWF report says.

Some 14 billion euros of taxpayers’ money is distributed to these sectors in the region every year. But according to WWF at least 84 percent of this cash pile is being used in an environmentally harmful way or instead of serving the public good is supporting purely profit related activities.

A previous Swedish Environment Protection Agency showed that the minimum cost to reach the environmental targets for eutrophication and fisheries in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan is calculated to be approximately €2.6 billion per year.

“This shows that we have enough money to save the Baltic Sea,” says Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of WWF Sweden. “Just the money provided to the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the form of misdirected subsidies equals four times the amount of money needed to save the Baltic Sea.”

Parallel to the report on subsidies, WWF released its vision statements for the future of European agricultural policy and the European fisheries policy.

Both of these documents state that public funding should only be used to pay for those goods and services that benefit us all, but are not paid for by the market; services like the sustainable management of common resources, biodiversity protection or the maintenance of cultural values.

“The distribution of subsidies today reflects the outcome of political negotiations rather than an objective assessment of the needs of these sectors, the appropriate use of public funding in response to these needs, or a consideration of the amount of funding required”, says Lasse Gustavsson.

”Delivering public goods should be the primary purpose of public funding, and this is likely to require substantial investments in the Baltic Sea region also in the future”.

According to WWF the most urgent measure to solve the fisheries crisis is to bring down fishing over-capacity to a sustainable level. Today subsidies are used both to scrap vessels and to support increased fishing. The report shows that the cost to bring down over-capacity would be less than zero – it would be a net gain for society.

In order to put agriculture policy on a more sustainable track the WWF vision states the importance of working in partnership with environmental NGOs, farmers’ representatives and others to develop a new Common Environment and Rural Policy for implementation in 2019.

The full report and the vision papers are available at www.panda.org/baltic

New WWF report: “There is enough money to save the Baltic Sea four times over!”

2009-06-15

The report refers to a recent study by the Swedish Environment Protection Agency in cooperation with researchers from all around the Baltic Sea that looked at the latest and most advanced research on the costs of action in the Baltic Sea. In this study, the minimum cost to reach the environmental targets for eutrophication and fisheries in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan is calculated to be approximately 2.6 billion euros per year.

“This shows that we have enough money to save the Baltic Sea”, says Lasse Gustavsson, CEO WWF Sweden. “Just the money provided to the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the form of misdirected subsidies equals four times the amount of money needed to save the Baltic Sea.”

Parallel to the report on subsidies, WWF released its vision statements for the future of European agricultural policy and the European fisheries policy. A common message in both of these statements is the importance that public funding should only be used to pay for those goods and services that benefit us all, but are not paid for by the market; services like the sustainable management of common resources, biodiversity protection or the maintenance of cultural values. These statements also present detailed recommendations for how this can be achieved.

“The distribution of subsidies today reflects the outcome of political negotiations rather than an objective assessment of the needs of these sectors, the appropriate use of public funding in response to these needs, or a consideration of the amount of funding required”, says Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. ”Delivering public goods should be the primary purpose of public funding, and this is likely to require substantial investments in the Baltic Sea region also in the future”.

The most urgent measure to solve the fisheries crisis is to bring down fishing over-capacity to a sustainable level. Today subsidies are used both to scrap vessels and to support increased fishing. The WWF report shows that the cost to bring down over-capacity would be less than zero – it would be a net gain for society.

In order to put agriculture policy on a more sustainable track the WWF vision states the importance of working in partnership with environmental NGOs, farmers’ representatives and others to develop a new Common Environment and Rural Policy for implementation in 2019.

“It would be very unfair to blame the individual farmer or fisherman for the situation that has arisen,” says Pauli Merriman.”They operate in a system that forces them to compete and increase their revenues and yields, without setting sufficient and equal demands on environmental performance. Any single farmer or fisherman, who sets higher standards than others, may immediately become less competitive. The problem is a political problem that can only be solved on the political level by a fundamental reform of the EU policies, including a re-orientation of the subsidies.”

The subsidies report makes a calculation of how much each taxpayer around the Baltic Sea is contributing to eutrophication and overfishing through misguided subsidies.

The summary report and the vision papers are available at www.panda.org/baltic

For more information, please contact:

Lasse Gustavsson, CEO WWF Sweden
Tel. +46 701 053 055
Email. lasse.gustavsson@wwf.se

Pauli Merriman, Director WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 767 886 185
Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

WWF: “Don’t miss this chance to save the Baltic Sea!”

2009-06-10

The Baltic Sea region has for many years posed complex regional problems and challenges, for the environment as well as for economic development. With the Baltic Sea Strategy, an internal EU strategy for a specific geographic macro-region is created for the first time. The Strategy is intended to provide a model for regional problem-solving and identity-building for the entire European Union.

“WWF has been active in the development of this strategy and believes that the strategy, as currently envisioned, creates a unique opportunity to secure a more integrated approach to the management of the sea and its resources”, says Åsa Andersson, Programme Director Swedish Nature and Baltic Sea Programme, WWF Sweden. “We therefore urge the Swedish Government, who will now be the ones to take the strategy forward during their EU presidency, to use all the tools it has available to ensure that the strategy will go far beyond its rhetoric and implement the strategy as a model for the rest of Europe to follow.”

The Baltic Sea Strategy aims to make the Baltic Sea region a prosperous, accessible and attractive, safe and secure and environmentally sustainable place. The added value of the Baltic Sea Strategy, beyond that of existing agreements, is its aim to achieve a more integrated approach to the management of the Baltic Sea.

“There is an urgent need to overcome the chaos of multiple and overlapping competencies and authorities in the Baltic Sea. It is obvious to everybody by now that regional challenges can only be properly addressed through regional approaches and solutions. WWF believes this approach is not only urgently needed, it is also essential - as it is only by involving all sectors at all levels in an integrated sea use planning and management process that we can achieve the goals set out in the Strategy”, says Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

According to the communication today, there is no new or extra funding included in the Baltic Sea Strategy. “We think governments should use at least part of all that funding that is already around to create financial incentives for farmers, fishermen and others to adjust their business to align better with the long-term health of the Baltic Sea and the region surrounding it”, says Pauli Merriman.

For more information, please contact:

Åsa Andersson, Programme Director Swedish Nature and Baltic Sea Programme, WWF Sweden.
Tel. +46 70 66 99 290
Email. asa.andersson@wwf.se

Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Progamme
Tel. +46 767 886 185
Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Information to editors:

The European Commission has prepared an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region on the request of the European Council. The aim of the Strategy is to coordinate the efforts of various actors in the Region (Member States, regions, financing institutions, the EU, pan-Baltic organisations, non-governmental bodies etc.) so that by working together they would promote a more balanced development of the Region.

After the 2004 enlargement, the potential and the challenges of the Baltic Sea Region have attracted more attention. There are wide differences in economic development between the EU Member States. The whole region is also facing major challenges like the demographic change and the pollution of the Sea. The common problems of the Region call for cooperation of the whole Region.

The Strategy aims at four main objectives:

1. to improve the environmental state of the Baltic Sea Region and especially of the Sea;
2. to make the Baltic Sea Region a more prosperous place by supporting balanced economic development across the Region;
3. to make the Baltic Sea Region a more accessible and attractive place for both its inhabitants, for competent labour force and for tourists;
4. to make the Baltic Sea Region a safer and more secure place.

WWF supports the intentions of the Strategy but cautions that these good intentions may never be implemented unless the Swedish government, under its presidency of the EU, takes its task regarding the EUSBSR seriously and delivers a truly integrated solution to the problems facing the Baltic Sea. WWF believes the Swedish government must therefore help ensure that:

1. the strategy recognizes that a healthy Baltic Sea is the basis for a prosperous and attractive Baltic Sea region;
2. the Baltic Sea Strategy takes an ecosystem-based approach to the management of the sea, i.e. all our uses of the sea must be governed by what the Baltic Sea can sustain;
3. the Strategy addresses key challenges to the Baltic Sea, such as the depletion of fisheries and the nutrient pollution through agriculture, through the relevant European policies: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP);
4. the strategy recognizes that marine spatial planning is a critical tool when planning for and managing our uses of the sea.

Careful management can bring Baltic Sea cod back

2009-05-29

WWF is cautiously optimistic regarding today’s indication from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) scientific advice that cod is increasing in the Baltic Sea. WWF has worked for many years to stop over-fishing in the Baltic Sea and therefore finds it encouraging that the eastern cod stock now appears to be increasing with yet another good year class of 2006, although there are presently no guarantees this positive development will continue. The western stock is showing less improvement as only one good year class, 2008, has been observed over the last five years.

“We are happy to see that the trends are moving in the right direction”, says Ottilia Thoreson, Fisheries Policy Officer, WWF Sweden. “But, in order to retain this positive trend, it’s important that decision makers listen carefully to what the scientists are actually saying”.

For 2010 ICES recommends that decision makers follow the management plans for both cod stocks and include a 15 percent increase in quotas for the eastern Baltic Sea cod stock and, for the first time in many years, also recommends a small increase of the quota for the western stock. However, the scientists stress the uncertainties of their own calculations and admit that they are based on the assumption that there is minimal by-catch and that illegal fishing has decreased to a fraction of what it used to be.

“This year’s evaluation is extremely uncertain when it comes to illegal fishing and the amount of undersized cod being caught”, says says Ottilia Thoreson. “If we want to have a sustainable fishery, we must ensure that cod stocks are given the chance to grow to a stable level without juvenile cod getting fished out.

According to WWF, in order to continue this positive trend, several technical measures need to be adopted. For trawling, the development of more selective fishing gear that effectively avoids large catches of young cod is needed. In trawl fisheries for cod in the Baltic Sea, an estimated 28 percent of the catch is thrown over-board, including mostly young cod and flatfish. The amount of discarded fish is dependent on the size of each year class, which means that when larger year classes are born and developing, there will be a larger by-catch of young cod which are just under the commercial landing size.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has been a huge problem in the Baltic Sea. It is next to impossible for scientists themselves to assess the size of IUU fishing. Instead they have been left to trust estimates from national authorities. From an earlier official estimate of 32 to 45 percent, the IUU figure used as the basis for next years quotas is just 6 percent. ”An underestimation of IUU fishing in the Baltic Sea could mean that the actual catch will be far above what is set in the official TACs, putting further pressure on the stock. The ICES advice must therefore be taken with this strong possibility in mind”, says Pauli Merriman, Director, Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

For more information please contact:

Ottilia Thoreson, Fisheries Policy Officer, WWF Sweden
Tel: +46 732 745 867
E-mail: ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se

Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 767 886 185
Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Note to editors:

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) ICES is a network of more than 1600 scientists from 200 institutes linked by an intergovernmental agreement (the ICES Convention) to add value to national research efforts. ICES coordinates and promotes marine research on oceanography, the marine environment, the marine ecosystem, and on living marine resources in the North Atlantic. Members of the ICES community include all coastal states bordering the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, with affiliate members in the Mediterranean Sea and southern hemisphere. Each year ICES, through its Advisory Committee, offers advice on quotas of Baltic Sea and North Sea commercial fish species to the European Council of Ministers. Traditionally, ministers have often chosen not to follow scientific advice, but instead provide substantially larger quotas.

WWF has recently launched a new version of its consumer’s Fish Guide in the region. The guide gives cod from the eastern stock a yellow light, implying that care should be taken. The western stock is still given a red light.

WWF report highlights “invisible” algae blooms in the Baltic Sea

2009-05-19

WWF today released a report on the distribution of so called “spring blooms” in the Baltic Sea. In 2009, the northern Baltic Proper witnessed the strongest spring bloom of the past 15 years, with production peaking just a few weeks ago. The spring blooms are well known to scientists, but as they take place from March to May when not so many people are out on (or in) the sea, their impact on the environment is not well known or discussed outside of scientific circles.

“The algae produced during an average spring bloom in the Baltic Proper equals 1 000 000 truckloads of algae that would constitute a line of trucks travelling from the North Cape to Gibraltar and back – or
12 000 km! Only the strongest blue-green algal blooms in the summer can come close to producing similar amounts of algae”, explains Dr. Sampsa Vilhunen, Marine Expert with WWF Finland.

When the dead and decomposing algae sink to the sea floor, they start to consume oxygen from the surrounding water layer. As a result of an average spring bloom in the Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga, oxygen is theoretically consumed to zero in a layer 2.5 meters above the sea floor, contributing to so called “dead zones”. The corresponding figure for the Baltic Proper is 1.6 m. The dead zones decrease reproductive success of commercial fish stocks such as flatfish and cod. They also add to the vicious cycle of eutrophication by re-releasing phosphorus from the sea floor, a phenomenon called “internal loading”.

“Because oxygen levels are already low in the bottom layers, massive spring blooms can effectively prevent the recovery of bottom ecosystems. The spring bloom therefore contributes to the problem of dead zones and internal nutrient loading in the Baltic Sea”, says Dr. Sampsa Vilhunen.

The intensity of the spring bloom is mainly governed by the amount of nitrogen entering the sea from sources like farming, waste water and the combustion of fossil fuels. Dead zones created by decomposing spring bloom algae can release more phosphorus through internal loading. Phosphorus is the limiting factor for the summer blue-green algae blooms, and these algae have the capacity to enrich the water with nitrogen. The vicious cycle is closed.

“The mechanisms of this ‘vicious cycle’ of spring and summer algal blooms clearly show the need to reduce both phosphorus and nitrogen emissions to the Baltic Sea”, says Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “While several quick and cost-efficient measures can be taken to improve the quality of waste water, including a ban on phosphates in detergents and improved municipal waste water facilities, we cannot expect to solve the eutrophication problem without a radical change in European agricultural policy. Subsidies that are still used to promote production should instead be used to support environmentally sustainable rural development.”

The full report can be downloaded at www.pandal.org/baltic

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Sampsa Vilhunen, Marine Expert, WWF Finland
Tel. +358 40 550 3854 Email. sampsa.vilhunen@wwf.fi

Pauli Merriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 767 886 185 Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Cruise ship sewage ban a step in the right direction, says WWF

2009-05-19

Today ECC, an organization representing the major cruise companies operating in Europe, in a press release committed to stop dumping their waste water in the Baltic Sea when certain conditions are met. These conditions include “adequate port reception facilities which operate under a ‘no special fee’ agreement”.

“We see this as a step in the right direction”, says Dr. Anita Mäkinen, Head of the Marine Programme at WWF Finland. “The dumping of untreated waste water straight out into the Baltic Sea poses an unnecessary threat to the sensitive nature of the Baltic Sea environment. We are very happy that the cruise companies have recognized this fact and have taken this new decision.”

Today there are only three out of more than 20 cruise ships ports around the Baltic Sea, Helsinki, Stockholm and Visby, that meet ECC’s conditions. The normal sewage storage capacity for a cruise ship is between one and three days. This means in praxis that a lot of sewage will still be dumped in the sea.

“We now call on the cruise lines to work together with us to put pressure on the ports and their owners to establish sufficient port facilities”, says Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “We consider it to be the responsibility of any country or city that wants to receive these cruise ships, to offer adequate sewage reception facilities.”

Already two years ago, WWF took the initiative and contacted ferry lines and cruise ship companies that are sailing in the Baltic Sea, asking for a voluntary ban on waste-water discharge. That same year, most of the ferry lines responded positively, but only three of the international cruise lines signed up.

The Baltic Sea receives more than 350 cruise ship visits with over 2,100 port calls each year. The waste-water produced in these vessels is estimated to contain 113 tons of nitrogen and 38 tons of phosphorus, substances that add to eutrophication of the sea. Until now, most of this sewage has been is discharged into the Baltic Sea. In addition to excess nutrients, the waste water also contains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, as well as heavy metals.

Eutrophication is considered by many the main environmental problem of the Baltic Sea, causing both biological and economic damage to marine environment and coastal areas. It is caused by an overload of nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, into the ecosystem. Eutrophication causes many problems, including unusually strong and frequent summertime algae blooms such as the toxic cyanobacteria.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Anita Mäkinen, Head of the Marine Program at WWF Finland
Tel. +358 40 52 714 25 Email. anita.makinen@wwf.fi

Pauli Meriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 767 886 185 Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Nord Stream assessment seriously underestimates environmental consequences for the Baltic Sea

2009-05-07

In a submission to national authorities around the Baltic Sea today, WWF calls the latest Nord Streamenvironmental impact assessment inadequate as it does not live up to established standards. WWF pointsat gaps and missing information and claims that Nord Stream is seriously underestimating environmentalimpacts.

“The impact assessment does not take the standard approach to include worst case scenarios, but relieson assumptions that can only be qualified as wild guesses”, says Jochen Lamp, Head of the Baltic SeaProject Office of WWF Germany. “This leads to drastically false assumptions and some of the findingsare clearly unjustified.”

WWF comments on a 4000 page long report that has been delivered by Nord Stream to nationalauthorities of the neighbouring countries. The comments highlight the lack of researched alternatives to apipeline on the sea floor and list several areas where data are insufficient or not adequately reflectingreality.

“Many of the impacts are likely to be considerably more severe than stated” says Jochen Lamp, WWF. “Much of the assessment must be thoroughly revised, and it will be inevitable to drastically elevate someof the predicted impacts to more acute levels.”

WWF finds some of the biggest problems within the following areas:

Undersea munitions – mine sweeping may cause serious damage to marine mammals and fish;
Sea bed interventions – the amount of impacts can still not be estimated due to lack of data. Severe impacts on currents and biodiversity cannot be ruled out;
Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas – impacts are not sufficiently described and effects seriously underestimated;
Eutrophication – emissions of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are alarmingly high and those of harmful substances like cadmium, aluminium and dioxins are not sufficiently assessed.
The alternative land route through Eastern European countries was not assessed at all.
Descriptions of mitigation actions, compensation measures and monitoring programs are vaguely and inadequately described.

Given these issues, WWF therefore urges all contracting parties to the ESPOO convention, and particularly all Baltic Sea affected countries, to demand that Nordstream revise, update and complete their EIA with all of the necessary data (currently missing)in order to assure that informed decisions can be made regarding this project.

“Given what we already know about the fragile state of the Baltic Sea environment, moving forward with this project in the absence of clear answers to all of the issues raised in WWF’s position statement could be of serious consequence to the environment of the Baltic Sea.” Says Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

BACKGROUND

Nord Stream is a planned natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany with two 1,200 km long parallel pipes projected to be laid on the Baltic Sea floor between Russian Viborg and Lubmin in Germany.

The pipeline will pass through the Exclusive Economic Zones and/or Territorial Waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

If built, it will be the largest single installation in the Baltic Sea.

The Nord Stream construction is subject to an environmental impact assessment in accordance with the Espoo Convention. The Convention requires that an impact assessment be carried out for an activity planned by one country, which is likely to have a significant environmental impact within an area under the jurisdiction of another country. It specifies what has to be considered at an early stage of planning and it also lays down the obligation of countries to notify and consult each other and the public on all major projects that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across borders.

WWF has prepared a detailed response to Nord Stream’s submission to the Espoo Convention listing the primary areas where WWF believes the Nord Stream EIA is insufficient.

For more information, please contact:
Jochen Lamp, Head of Baltic Sea Project Office, WWF Germany
Tel. +49 38 31 297 018 Email. lamp@wwf.de

Pauli Meriman, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel. +46 767 886 185 Email. pauli.merriman@wwf.se

Tuna commission comes up with "a disgrace, not a decision"

2008-11-24

Marrakech, Morocco - The commission tasked with preventing a collapse of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery today opted for catch quotas still far higher than its own scientists recommend and leaving industrial fleets free to scoop up tuna at the height of its spawning period.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, for the past week, brushed aside its own review’s description of its management of the bluefin fishery as “an international disgrace” to endorse a total allowable catch (TAC) of 22,000 tonnes for next year.

ICCAT’s own scientists had recommended a TAC ranging 8,500 to 15,000 tonnes per year, warning there were real risks of the fishery collapsing otherwise. The scientists also urged a seasonal closure during the fragile spawning months of May and June, while today’s outcome allows industrial fishing in practice up to 20 June.

“This is not a decision, it is a disgrace which leaves WWF little choice but to look elsewhere to save this fishery from itself,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, head of WWF Mediterranean’s fisheries programme, speaking from Marrakech.

“Any alternative is preferable to an organization which boasts of its respect for science but where in a decade catches have gone from twice to four times the scientific recommendations, with massive legal and illegal overfishing. It is clear that the only thing to slow the fishery with ICCAT at the helm is running out of fish.”

The European Union drove today’s decision, supported by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Syria and later joined by Japan.

Japan had initially been party to a US, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Iceland and Brazil proposal, supported by a brace of developing nations, to fix the allowed catch at the upper levels recommended by scientists and closing the fishery for the full spawning period.

The debate has been marred by allegations of the European Commission threatening developing state members with trade retaliations should they support lower catch limits and extended closed seasons, with the names of some nations appearing and disappearing from the more scientifically-based proposals.

“ICCAT’s string of successive failures leaves us little option now but to seek effective remedies through trade measures and extending the boycott of retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumers,” Dr Tudela said.
WWF has been urging a suspension of the out-of-control fishery, an option endorsed by the recent World Conservation Congress and recommended by ICCAT’s own internal high-level review.

The world’s largest bluefin tuna trader, Mitsubishi, signalled earlier in November that it would “reassess” its “involvement in this business” should ICCAT continue to be unable to sustainably manage the fishery.

“WWF will also actively push for a listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the hope that stringent trade controls tied explicitly to the survival of the species will turn around the half-hearted attempt at fisheries management shown here by ICCAT and especially its European contingent.”

CITES next meets in Doha in January 2010 with submissions on listings required by August 2009.
“Today’s outcome is a recipe for economic as well as biological bankruptcy with the European Union squarely to blame,” said Dr Tudela.

“Bluefin consumption in the main consumer market of Japan is expected to drop from 18,000 tonnes due to the economic crisis, with around 30,000 tonnes of frozen bluefin already in Hong Kong and Japan and additional unknown amounts in other Asian countries and in freezer ships.

“Our industry sources also tell us that there are 7,000 tonnes of illegally fished tuna in fattening cages across the Mediterranean that nobody wants to buy.”

The moratorium option, which the scientific panel said would lead to the quickest recovery in bluefin stock and the best future prospects for fulfilling ICCAT’s charter of delivering a long-term sustainable fishery, was not even given consideration by the commission in Marrakech despite increasing support for this option from European fishermen.

Valuable Baltic wetlands still lack protection

2008-10-28

Solna, Sweden: Only 3% of the area of all wetlands and inland waters around the Baltic Sea have legal protection according to the RAMSAR convention, WWF reveals in a new report. Denmark, Estonia and Latvia are exceptions with between 7 and 20 % protected.

Over the years, wetlands have been drained for agriculture and forest production, used for peat extraction, landfills or for other kinds of exploitation and construction works. Increasingly, calls have been raised to protect and restore existing wetlands and even to recreate lost wetland areas.

“We hope this report will help decision-makers realize the importance of well-functioning wetlands”, says Lennart Gladh, Baltic Sea Coordinator of WWF Sweden. “The report also outlines where the need is most acute and what types of wetlands are most underrepresented in the present scheme”.

Wetlands are important to protect biodiversity. Many species of birds, mammals and fish are dependent on wetlands for their survival. Wetlands are also important to catch nutrients from agriculture and forestry before they reach the sea. More than half of the nutrients that cause eutrophication and algal blooms in the Baltic Sea stem from agriculture. Lately, attention has also been brought to the role of wetlands as carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and as protection against storms and floods, which we are likely to see more of due to climate change.

“Wetlands are the kidneys of our ecosystem”, says Lennart Gladh. “If you remove the kidneys, the patient will die. Without protection and restoration of wetlands and freshwater systems it will simply not be possible to reduce the diffuse nutrient emissions to the Baltic Sea”.

Valuable wetlands around the Baltic Sea still lack protection

2008-10-24

Only 3% of the area of all wetlands and inland waters around the Baltic Sea have legal protection according to the RAMSAR convention, WWF reveals in a report released today. Denmark, Estonia and Latvia are exceptions with between 7 and 20 % protected.

Over the years, wetlands have been drained for agriculture and forest production, used for peat extraction, landfills or for other kinds of exploitation and construction works. Increasingly, calls have been raised to protect and restore existing wetlands and even to recreate lost wetland areas.

“We hope this report will help decision-makers realize the importance of well-functioning wetlands”, says Lennart Gladh, Baltic Sea Coordinator of WWF Sweden. “The report also outlines where the need is most acute and what types of wetlands are most underrepresented in the present scheme”.

Wetlands are important to protect biodiversity. Many species of birds, mammals and fish are dependent on wetlands for their survival. Wetlands are also important to catch nutrients from agriculture and forestry before they reach the sea. More than half of the nutrients that cause eutrophication and algal blooms in the Baltic Sea stem from agriculture. Lately, attention has also been brought to the role of wetlands as carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and as protection against storms and floods, which we are likely to see more of due to climate change.

“Wetlands are the kidneys of our ecosystem”, says Lennart Gladh. “If you remove the kidneys, the patient will die. Without protection and restoration of wetlands and freshwater systems it will simply not be possible to reduce the diffuse nutrient emissions to the Baltic Sea”.

For more information:
Lennart Gladh +46 21 35 10 52 or +46 702 210 367
The full report “The representation of wetland types and species in RAMSAR sites in the Baltic Sea Catchment Area” can be downloaded from the right hand collumn of this page.

Note to editors:
The Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR Convention) was launched in 1971 (in Ramsar, Iran) and went into force in 1975. It is a global environmental treaty aimed at “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

RAMSAR will hold its 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties in Changwon, Republic of Korea, next week on 28 October - 4 November 2008.

A main task of the RAMSAR Convention is to list wetlands of international importance, as an incitement to assure their wise use, i.e. that “each Contracting Party shall designate suitable wetlands within their territory for inclusion in a List of Wetlands of International Importance”. Other important elements are the national commitments to ensure the wise use of wetlands and to cooperate on the international level. In order to realize the vision “to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biodiversity and for sustaining human life through the ecological and hydrological functions they perform”, adopted at by the 7th meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties (in San José, Costa Rica, 1999) the Parties have agreed on three main objectives:

1) Establish national networks of RAMSAR Sites which fully represent the diversity of wetlands and their key ecological and hydrological functions,
2) Contribute to maintaining global biodiversity through the designation and management of appropriate wetland sites,
3) Foster co-operation among Contracting Parties, the Convention's International Organization Partners, and local stakeholders in the selection, designation, and management of RAMSAR sites.

Percentage of wetland area (in the Baltic Sea catchment area) that today are within RAMSAR sites:

Country	Percentage
Denmark	20,5%
Estonia	9,0%
Latvia	7,9%
Lithuania	3,9%
Finland	3,1%
Germany	2,8%
Russia	2,5%
Sweden	2,2%
Poland	1,7%

Marine poison banned

2008-09-17

A milestone in the protection of the oceans was reached today as a global ban on tributyltin (TBT) - one of the most toxic chemicals deliberately released into the sea - entered into force.

The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Antifouling Systems for Ships obliges its signatories to ensure that no vessels using hull paint containing TBT and other so-called organotin chemicals go under their flag or call at their ports.

"This is a tremendous victory for the marine environment, but one that is long overdue. It has been over forty years since TBT's negative effects were first identified and seven years since the legislation to ban organotins was agreed, yet we have only now achieved a global ban," says Dr. Simon Walmsley, Director of WWF-UK's Marine Programme.

Take-up of the agreement has been slow, with many of the large shipping states having yet to sign and implement the agreement into their national legislation. Whereas WWF is applauding the commitment of the 34 states that have ratified the agreement so far, the conservation organization urges all 168 member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to ratify as soon as possible.

TBT is often used in marine antifouling paint, as it swiftly kills organisms such as barnacles, algae and mussels which naturally attach themselves to hard surfaces, including ship hulls, thus reducing the drag effect and lowering fuel consumption.

The problem is that TBT leaks out from the paint and into the surrounding water, affecting marine life and seeping into the food chain where it accumulates and eventually reaches humans through fish consumption.

Heard of sea snails changing sex, or oysters seeing their shell being deformed? These are but two known adverse TBT effects on marine species. The decline of commercially harvested oysters along the Atlantic coast of

France

and the

has been attributed to TBT contamination. TBT has also been found far from shipping lanes in albatrosses, whales and fish.

But we have probably only begun to see the long term effects of TBT and other organotins on marine ecosystems, as the poison is stored in sediments for many years and can re-enter the food chain when the sea bottom is stirred up by passing vessels in ports and shallow areas, or even by storms and dredging activities.

“TBT belongs not in the sea but in the poison cupboard, and this agreement will help put it firmly back there,” says Stephan Lutter, International Policy Officer with WWF Germany.

WWF has been lobbying for the ban of TBT for more than a decade. At the end of the 1990’s, WWF, together with some leading shipping companies and paint manufacturers, initiated the 2003 Group, whose members voluntarily banned the use of TBT on their vessels and developed toxics-free alternatives.

Scandinavian Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) banned the use of TBT in hull paint on all vessels in 2000.

“There are better alternatives which balance the need for antifouling with environmental stewardship. It is our responsibility to use them,” says Melanie Moore, WWL’s Global Head of Environment.

WWF continues to advocate for all vessels to apply biocide-free non-toxic alternatives.

Fore more information: Stephan Lutter, stephan.lutter@wwf.de and Jessica Battle jbattle@wwfint.org

Bottom grades for Baltic Sea states

2008-08-26

The states around the Baltic Sea all scored a bottom grade for their marine environmental performance, according to a WWF assessment presented at the annual Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm today. The nine countries were graded on how well they are doing on six separate areas: biodiversity, fisheries, hazardous substances, maritime transports, eutrophication, and on how well they have developed an integrated sea use management. The best grades were received by Germany, followed by Denmark, while Estonia ended up in third place.

Behind the bad over-all scores, there are, however, lights of hope. Germany received an A- on the biodiversity score for their protection of marine areas with around 40% of the country’s sea areas protected. Latvia and Lithuania have taken measures to combat illegal fishing of cod, partly by giving inspectors the mandate to impose sanctions on site. Estonia has a narrow lead in lowering the impact of hazardous substances.

- It is a shame that no country could be given a satisfactory total score, says Mats Abrahamsson, Program Director of WWF Baltic Sea Ecoregion Program. The Baltic Sea is influenced by a multitude of human activities, regulated by a patchwork of international and national regulations and authorities. What the Baltic Sea needs now is political leadership that can look beyond national or sectoral interests and take an integrated approach to solving the problems.

Also at the festival, WWF awarded Tarja Halonen, president of the Republic of Finland, with the Baltic Sea Leadership Award for “her persistent efforts to unite groups and encourage cross-border discussions on the future of the Baltic Sea”.

- We applaud Tarja Halonen and the leadership she has shown in her position as President of Finland. She has used the opportunities presented by her position to press and encourage increased political leadership and cross-border cooperation in order to save the Baltic Sea, says Mats Abrahamsson.

Finland is the only country in the region that has developed a cross-sectoral marine policy. Several other countries are now taking steps to review their marine management. Sweden scored best in the region in the Integrated Sea Use Management category for its comprehensive review of its marine management through its Marine Inquiry.

- What we need now is a holistic, integrated, cross-sectoral and ecosystem-based process that includes all countries, sectors and relevant stakeholders, says Mats Abrahamsson. We now have a window of opportunity in the area of sea use management with two current processes on the European level: the Maritime Policy and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy. There is hope for the Baltic Sea.

The poor state of the environment of the Baltic Sea has received attention this summer because of the extensive algal blooms caused by eutrophication, and for recent scientific reports on the vast dead zones on the sea bottom.

For more information, please contact: Mats Abrahamsson +46 705 821 499

Note to editors:

The 2008 Baltic Sea Scorecard
For the second consecutive year, WWF and its partner organizations around the Baltic Sea is presenting a scorecard to assess how well the nine nations bordering the Baltic Sea are managing to protect and restore this fragile ecosystem to health. While the 2007 Scorecard centered on countries’ efforts to ratify and implement existing international agreements and conventions to manage and protect the Baltic Sea, this year’s Scorecard focuses more keenly on assessing whether concrete actions, necessary to achieve good environmental status for the Baltic Sea, actually have been accomplished. The full report can be downloaded here.

The Baltic Sea Festival
The intention of the sixth Baltic Sea Festival is to bring together people of the Baltic Sea region with an interest in classical music, environment, and the concept of leadership. The Festival takes place between the 21st and 30th of August in Stockholm, Tallinn and Riga. More information on the Festival can be found here.

Why won’t all manufacturers of detergents phase out phosphates to save the Baltic Sea?

2008-07-31

Several manufacturers of laundry and dishwasher detergents in countries around the Baltic Sea insist on using polluting phosphates in their products, despite the fact that there are alternatives available. Some companies sell phosphate-free products in countries with stricter regulations, while they refuse to sell the same alternatives in others. Procter & Gamble and Henkel are the only major international manufacturers that plan to phase out the use of phosphates in their laundry detergents by 2009. Phosphates are a major contributor to eutrophication of the Baltic Sea.

Earlier this year, WWF and partner organizations around the Baltic Sea contacted manufacturers of detergents and asked for a voluntary ban on phosphates in their products. After some months of dialogue, a number of companies have now agreed to switch to phosphate-free alternatives for their laundry detergents.

“We congratulate the leadership shown by some companies, and we hope that the rest will follow now”, says Vicki Lee Wallgren, Programme Manager at WWF’s Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “The fact that many manufacturers sell phosphate-free alternatives in some Baltic Sea states while continuing to sell phosphate-containing products in others is very frustrating. Considering the positive impacts a reduction of phosphates would have on the Baltic Sea, we think that all manufacturers should switch to phosphate-free alternatives now,” continues Vicki Lee Wallgren. “This is clearly a case of double standards. We will continue to negotiate with these manufacturers and we aim for a total phase-out of phosphates, preferably this year.”

Political negotiations on a phosphate ban have been ongoing for years. As late as November last year, when the Baltic Sea Action Plan was signed with great fanfare, an agreement to stop using phosphates was changed in the last minute. According to the final agreement, countries will only have to present a timetable for a phase-out at a meeting in 2010.

“It is amazing how governments have been debating this issue for years and years without coming to a decision”, says Vicki Lee Wallgren. “We are very happy that some companies are willing to take their responsibility when politicians are not.”

Some of the countries already have a ban on phosphates in detergents. Germany phased out phosphates in laundry detergents in 1984. Sweden recently implemented a ban on phosphates in laundry detergents and is now considering a ban also in dishwasher detergents. A recent study from the Swedish Chemical Inspectorate confirms that there are several alternatives to the use of phosphates in dishwasher detergents and recommends a ban.

A recent report commissioned by HELCOM estimated the total reduction of phosphorus due to a potential ban on detergents containing phosphates to somewhere between 3,000 and 9,000 tons/year, or up to 24 % of the total phosphorus load.

”To replace phosphates in detergents is the easiest and most cost-efficient way of improving the status of the Baltic Sea”, says Vicki Lee Wallgren. “The cost of banning phosphates in laundry and dishwater detergents has been shown to be negligible, while the positive effect in the Baltic Sea would be dramatic.”

The excess loads of phosphates and other nutrients are causing the environmental problem known as eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Eutrophication is a condition in aquatic ecosystems where high nutrient concentrations stimulate the growth of algae which leads to imbalanced functioning of the system, such as:
• intense algal blooms, including some species that produce toxins harmful to animals and humans;
• production of excess organic matter causing decreased water transparency;
• oxygen depletion with resulting dead zones at the sea bottoms; and
• death of living organisms, including fish.

WWF and partner organizations are committed to reducing eutrophication of the Baltic Sea down to sustainable levels and call on all manufacturers of detergents to sign on to the voluntary phosphates ban.

For more information, please contact:

Vicki Lee Wallgren, Programme Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, +46-70-105 3054

See also the original letter to the companies and more background information

Note to editors:

Phosphates
Phosphates are salts and esters of phosphoric acid, i.e. a group of chemical compounds where phosphorus is one component of the molecule. Phosphates are used as builders in laundry and dishwashing detergents. They effectively dissolve dirt and soften the water by reducing the amount of metal ions. There are now several alternatives to phosphates in detergents on the consumer market, including zeolites, citrates and polycarboxylates. Experience has shown that a transition to phosphate free detergents is possible and that technical problems for the manufacturers can easily be solved given a short transition period.

The maximum allowed level in the Swedish ban for laundry detergents is 0.2% phosphorus (or 0.8% phosphates). The proposal (from the Swedish Chemical Inspectorate) for dishwasher detergents is a limit of 0.5% phosphorus (or 2.0% phosphates), but the government has not announced a ban yet.

The effects of a phosphate ban would be greatest in places where cities are not connected to modern waste water treatment plants (usually with around 90% phosphorus reduction). However, also in countries with well developed waste water treatment facilities, there are many households, including summer houses and other scattered dwellings that are not connected to these plants.

HELCOM has established that if the use of phosphates in detergents would stop completely (and assuming that this would reduce inputs with 0.6kg phosphorus/person/year), it would result in:
• 24% total reduction of phosphorus inputs to the Baltic Sea, which is approximately 9000 tonnes.
• Substantial reduction in primary production and cyanobacterial (so called blue-green algae) blooms in the Bothnian Sea, and in the Gulfs of Finland and Riga.
• For the Baltic proper there will be a reduction in the extension of hypoxic (oxygen-free, dead) bottoms and a substantial reduction in cyanobacterial blooms.

The complete Helcom report, “Towards a Baltic Sea Unaffected by Eutrophication” is available at http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Krakow2007/Eutrophication_MM2007.pdf

International companies that have agreed not to use phosphates in their laundry detergents from 2009:
Procter & Gamble (in Estonia, Finland, German, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden)
Henkel (throughout the Baltic region)