Contact: Ottilia Thoreson
The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) adopted in 2007 had the goal to restore the Baltic marine environment to a Good Ecological Status by 2021. The plan is being revised and updated to set the ecological goal for the coming decade. However, the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) are nowhere near achieving the current goal.
According to the most recent HELCOM implementation assessment from 2018, of the 177 actions and recommendations assessed, only 24 per cent of the national actions were ‘completed’ and 60% were ‘partly accomplished’, while 68 per cent of the joint actions have been claimed as ‘completed’.
In the meantime, Baltic marine life has to navigate increasingly acidic waters, dodging trawling nets and abandoned fishing gear, seabed disturbances and extractive activities, anoxic zones, and hazardous substances such as plastics. On top of this, Baltic ecosystems are facing new challenges linked to human-induced climate change and extreme weather. Immediate action is called for.
"We are in the midst of a combined biodiversity and climate crisis. The coming decade will be decisive as to whether we can safeguard biodiversity and our collective future."
“To improve the environmental state of the Baltic Sea, HELCOM ministers must ensure that the updated plan requires rigorous action from contracting parties, and an overall greater commitment by the Baltic Sea countries to achieving this goal. Tangible efforts must be urgently taken at both national and regional levels to deliver results that halt the dwindling biodiversity of the Baltic Sea,” says Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Director at WWF’s Baltic Ecoregion Programme.
The Shadow Plan relays NGO’s recommendations to the BSAP that are fundamental to restoring the sea back to health, supporting thriving coastal communities, and increased resilience to climate change. As the 2021 deadline looms, countries must strive to address the clear and present challenges and make progress to achieve global obligations under United Nations global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) Aichi targets, which remain largely unachieved.
We are in the midst of a combined biodiversity and climate crisis. The coming decade will be decisive as to whether we can safeguard biodiversity and our collective future. One of the most alarming regional indicators is a collapsed Baltic cod population, signalling yet again the very real need to radically change how we manage the ecosystem where we fish, build, extract, relax and live our lives. With brave and sufficient political commitment, we can deliver that change – but we must act now.
This article is part of the WWF Baltic Newsletter – May 2020
