Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea ... - Naturvårdsverket

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SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Report 5873 • Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak Economic Marine Information problem in tropical countries where endangered corals and shells are sold as curiosities and juvenile fish caught for the aquarium industry. The amber industry in the south eastern Baltic Sea region is a different story. So far, it has caused many environmental problems. In addition to the damage done to the environment by amber mining in open pits, the processing of amber also harms the local ecology. Since mining started over a century ago, more than 100 million tons of waste has been discharged by the Kaliningrad amber mine into the Baltic Sea. The plant is considered one of the world's biggest culprits due to the expulsion of suspended material expulsion with consequences for turbidity and marine polluted. Although amber mining is an activity which severely threatens a large number of ecosystem services, it is questionable whether it can be regarded as a marine ecosystem service, given that the extraction of amber nowadays primarily takes place away from the marine environment. How to strengthen the provisioning of ornamental resources The harvest of living things should be evaluated in relation to present and local levels of threat. Any activity detrimental to the desired organisms is reducing the value of this service, including excessive harvest. For some species, cultivation may be a more sustainable option. Important for the protection of this ecosystem service is to promote awareness, ideally causing reduced demand, for species or products which are unsustainably exploited. Trade in red-listed species is regulated both by international and Swedish law (CITES, Species Protection Ordinance). Examples of knowledge gaps Generally there is limited information on the extent of this service, what is for sale and in which quantities. 123
SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Report 5873 • Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak Economic Marine Information Provisioning ecosystem services P6: Provision of energy Definition Provision of energy refers to the acquisition of energy directly from the marine environment, for example by using wave or tidal power. Offshore wind power, oil extracted from marine sediments and biofuel derived from marine resources are not included in this particular service but dealt with in other chapters (offshore wind power in chapter P7; oil in chapter P2 and biofuel in chapter P4). Extent of use and importance to society Waves, currents and tidal movements represent an underused ecosystem service. It is renewable, its sustainability practically infinite, and thus it has enormous potential in the light of ongoing energy debate. In our part of the world, the use of tidal energy is limited. In contrast, wave energy, which is generated by wind passing over the sea, is a powerful source of energy, even in relatively protected waters such as the in the Baltic Sea. All ice-free sea floor < 100 m depth can be used to extract wave power, which currently includes most parts of Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea south of Stockholm. In general, wave energy is less irregular than for example energy derived from sun and wind power; scientists predict that wave plants in Sweden could run 35 - 50 % of the time. The resultant potential for wave energy in the Baltic Sea is 24 TWh (196). This corresponds to Sweden’s scheduled increase in renewable energy within the next 10 years. In addition to the near-shore wave plants currently under development, there is potential for deep water power, where resources are enormous, although yet largely impractical to exploit. Provision of energy from the sea is non-extractive and renewable; once the plant has been built, it provides energy free of charge, needs no fuel and produces no waste or pollution. Given economic investment, wave power could be developed in Sweden and elsewhere, with great benefits to society and the environment. Interaction with other ecosystem services The provision of wave energy is primarily related to hydrographic factors and processes occurring in the atmosphere. 124
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Ecosystem services provided by the
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Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea ... - Naturvårdsverket

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