The multi-stakeholder campaign Race for the Baltic (RFTB) was launched today on World Ocean Day in Malmö, Sweden, by FISH, Coalition Clean Baltic and Oceana. A 3-month bike ride around the Baltic Sea will end in Copenhagen with a call for action aimed at the Baltic Environment Ministers.
After an afternoon of activities in the centre of Malmö, together with SEA-U – a local marine knowledge centre – and other local groups, the 3 500 km tour around the Baltic coast officially began. A core team of five cyclists will travel around the region this summer to draw attention to the environmental degradation of the Baltic Sea, and actions that need to be taken to improve the situation.
The cyclists left Malmö in the afternoon on their way east along the Swedish coast. In the early evening, they arrived at Smygehuk’s Lighthouse hostel for a night’s rest. Tomorrow morning they will continue east to Ystad.
– As one of the partners that initiated the Race for the Baltic campaign, it felt great to see them set off on their bikes, says Niki Sporrong, Director at FISH. We have lots of activities planned along the way together with other groups that share our aims and carry out their own work to improve the health of the Baltic Sea, and anyone can join the cyclists along the way to show support.
The campaign will also be gathering signatures to a petition over the summer months and this will culminate in the handover of a Call for Action to our Ministers of Environment in Copenhagen on 3 October in connection with the HELCOM Ministerial meeting.
The call for action is focused on three asks:
- REVIVE the biological diversity of the Baltic Sea.
- RECOVER the natural wealth of the fish stocks in the Baltic Sea to ensure long-term sustainability.
- RESTORE the water quality through a reduction of nutrients and pollutants flowing into the Baltic Sea.
– With the campaign, we seek to ensure that our politicians will take action to fulfil the obligations that have been agreed upon to address the pressing environmental issues in the Baltic Sea, says Niki Sporrong. We believe that the Baltic Sea region can become a model for management and protection of the marine environment across the EU and globally.
You can support the Race for the Baltic in a number of ways:
- Sign the petition and show that you care for the Baltic Sea
- Join in with the cycle or activities along the way – for more information, see www.raceforthebaltic.com