At a seminar today in the European Parliament, several of the authors behind the BalticSTERN report showed how the net gain of action to curb eutrophication in the Baltic Sea in line with the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan could be up to 1,5 billion EUR per year.
Several of the Baltic MEPs hosted a seminar this afternoon focusing on the results of the BalticSTERN report that was published earlier this year. The work identifies eutrophication as the key issue that will need to be tackled to restore the Baltic Sea ecosystem.
Eutrophication – a nutrient overload that results in algal blooms and ultimately oxygen depletion as they break down in the water column – together with overfishing has already resulted in dead sea bottom areas the size of Lithuania, according to the BalticSTERN researchers. We were told how non-action – or business as usual – was not really a feasible alternative, as most of the Baltic proper, Gulf of Riga, and the southern Baltic Sea would be almost devoid of oxygen.
They looked particularly at 9 different measures that could be applied to reduce eutrophication and their respective cost-effectiveness. Among them, seven focused on reducing the nutrient load from agriculture and two from waste water treatment. Almost half of the benefits would result from application of two of these measures: 1) a reduction in fertiliser usage and 2) a reduction in livestock, particularly pigs and poultry. The third most effective was to focus on waste water treatment.
The researchers emphasised the complexities and strong links between eutrophication and other aspects, such as fisheries management. There is an inter-dependence; with successful fisheries management, eutrophication can be reduced and the status of the sea improved, but unless we also target pollution, the fish might not be edible, they explained. They concluded that we really need an ecosystem-based, holistic, integrated management strategy across the region.
This was supported by the present Baltic MEPs: Satu Hassi (Greens, FI; former Minister of Enviroment), Isabella Lövin (Greens, SE), Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė (EPP, LT), Marek Józef Gróbarczyk (ECR, PL; former Minister of Maritime Affairs), who all made short statements about issues they felt were of particular importance, ranging from farming practices and choices in fisheries management to public understanding of life-style choices.
The full BalticSTERN report covers a range of issues. The scientists involved have also made particular case studies on issues such as fishery management, oil spills and invasive marine species. Overall, the BalticSTERN work shows that large values are at stake in the Baltic Sea region, that the people in the region are willing to pay substantial amounts to restore the regional sea, that action could bring substantial gain both in terms of general welfare and growth.
The report concludes that the coming years will be crucial and that it is up to the individual countries and the upcoming HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen on 3 October to take action and agree on the policy instruments required to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
For more information:
The Baltic Sea – Our Common Treasure. Economics of Saving the Sea, 2013.