The opening workshop of the Baltic Coast Dialog project concluded on Friday, 20 September, in Wolgast, Germany. This event marked the first of four planned workshops in the project, which aims at establishing a network of international stakeholders dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Baltic Sea’s marine and coastal ecosystems.
The theme of the meeting, titled Blue Restoration, centered on opportunities to restore the Baltic coastal and marine ecosystems. The two-day workshop offered both informative presentations and constructive dialogues among the participants.
Day 1: Keynote presentations
The first day featured a series of keynote speakers, including Rudiger Strempel, Executive Secretary of HELCOM, who introduced the organization and outlined the goals of the HELCOM 2021 Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) for ecosystem restoration. Other speakers delved into key topics such as marine resilience and management, highlighting successful seagrass restoration efforts along the Baltic coasts of Poland and Germany. These discussions provided participants with valuable insights into current restoration initiatives and best practices.
Representatives from all four partner NGOs – FishSec, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUW), Baltic Environmental Forum Lithuania (BEF Lithuania), and BirdLife Poland – were in attendance, contributing with their expertise and perspectives on ecosystem conservation.
Day 2: Group discussions and dialogue
The second day of the workshop was dedicated to group discussions among the main participants. These collaborative sessions aimed to generate practical solutions and strategies, which will serve as crucial inputs for the final report. The outcomes of these discussions will be shared among the partner organisations to inform further work on the project.
Looking ahead
The next workshop in the Baltic Coast Dialogue series will focus on fisheries and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Scheduled for 29 November in Berlin, the upcoming workshop is already in the planning stages and promises to be another insightful event, bringing together experts and stakeholders to explore sustainable solutions for the Baltic Sea.
This project, through its collaborative approach, aims to strengthen regional efforts to restore and protect the Baltic Sea, ensuring the health of its ecosystems for future generations.