BSEP116B Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea - Helcom

1 INTRODUCTION
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1.1 An integrated thematic
assessment of biodiversity
and nature conservation in
the Baltic Sea
The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
as a background
The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) was
adopted in late 2007 by the environment ministers
and high-level representatives of the Baltic
Sea coastal countries and the European Community
(HELCOM 2007a). By implementing the
Action Plan, the HELCOM Contracting Parties are
applying the ecosystem approach to the management
of human activities in the Baltic Sea region.
The ultimate goal of the BSAP is the achievement
of a Baltic Sea in good environmental status by
2021.
The Action Plan devotes a specific chapter to
nature conservation and biodiversity. The strategic
goal for biodiversity is ’Favourable conservation
status of Baltic Sea biodiversity’. In addition, ecological
objectives further define the status that
HELCOM Contracting Parties want to achieve:
• Natural marine and coastal landscapes,
• Thriving and balanced communities of plants and
animals, as well as
• Viable populations of species.
For each of the ecological objectives, the Action
Plan contains a number of more detailed targets
to be employed for monitoring the progress
towards achieving the strategic goal and ecological
objectives. The targets contain deadlines for
their achievement.
A set of measures addressing biodiversity was
adopted in the Action Plan, inter alia, measures
concerning the development of a marine spatial
planning approach, finalization of a coherent
network of well-managed Baltic Sea protected
areas, elaboration of a habitat classification and
updated Red Lists of threatened and declining
species and habitats as well as measures
to protect species, including a large number of
fisheries-related actions.
Biodiversity and nature conservation were
included as Article 15 in the revised Helsinki
Convention of 1992. Since then, a number of
HELCOM recommendations in the field of protection
of biodiversity and conservation of nature
have been adopted. These include recommendations
on HELCOM Baltic Sea Protected Areas
(Recommendation 15/5) and recommendations
on the protection of species, such as the protection
of seals in the Baltic Sea (Recommendation
27–28/2).
The purpose of this integrated thematic assessment
of biodiversity is to provide a baseline for
measuring progress towards the goals, objectives,
and targets identified in the Action Plan.
This assessment will provide information on the
status of and pressures on biodiversity and nature
conservation that prevailed before the implementation
of the Action Plan. Improvements in the
status of the environment achieved as a result of
implementing the Action Plan will be evaluated by
a HELCOM ministerial meeting in 2013.
This biodiversity assessment contributes to the
development of harmonized assessment methods
and tools. In particular, the pilot application of
the indicator-based Biodiversity Assessment Tool
BEAT is part of the development of quantitative
assessment methodologies.
Topics of the biodiversity assessment
This assessment focuses on the marine environment
of the ‘Baltic Sea area’. Following the
1992 Helsinki Convention, the ‘Baltic Sea area’
covers the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat, including
the coastal waters up to the landward limit. In
accordance with the hierarchy of the biodiversityrelated
ecological objectives of the BSAP, the
assessment has been carried out at the levels of
landscapes, communities, and species (Chapters
2, 3, 4 and 5, Box 1.1).
Human pressures and activities have been
assessed in terms of their sources and magnitude
and their impact on Baltic biodiversity. The pressures
include physical loss and damage, pollution
and contamination by hazardous substances,
nutrient enrichment, and biological disturbance
(Chapter 6); these pressures are similar to those in
Annex III, Table 2 of the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC).