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

SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Report 5873 • Ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak
Economic Marine Information
lar socio-economic importance may be expected in areas of major tourism development
such as along the sandy beaches of the Southern Baltic and in the Gulf of
Riga. Thus, along the coasts of the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak, this service is indeed
of value, though not as essential as in many tropical environments subjected to
higher wind, wave and tidal energy.
Interaction with other ecosystem services
All structures dampening wave and current energy favour sediment retention and
coastal protection. Generally, leaf biomass reduces wave energy and root systems
act to stabilize the sediment, counteract erosion and mitigates disturbance from
storms and floods (109). Sediment retention is particularly important for the provision
of habitat and for the existence of productive sediments. Unsustainable use of
ecosystem services like recreational activity and resource extraction may limit the
provision of this regulating service.
Status, threats & consequences
Status
Sustainability of use
Level of threat
Expected consequences
Moderate
Sustainable
Moderate
Moderate
The summary includes the service of sediment retention in the whole Baltic and
Skagerrak region. The region obviously include both areas where sediment retention
is in good status, and others where the condition is very poor. The threats to
this service are described below.
Worldwide, effects of beach erosion are becoming increasingly detrimental with
significant consequences for human society. IPCC state that 70 % of sandy shorelines
globally have already been subject to erosion during the last century. They
further estimate that erosion and floods will increase substantially in Europe due to
the combined effects of coastal erosion and climate change (94). In our region,
urban development (piers, harbours, infrastructure, residential areas, dredging operations)
and marine sediment extraction (chapter P2) alter sediment balance.
Meanwhile, the loss of structurally complex marine vegetation reduces protective
services. Extensive areas of sea-grass, for example, have perished due to increased
sedimentation, reduced water mixing and eutrophication (63; chapter S5), potentially
contributing to reduced protection from storm flood and erosion.
The Eurosion Project within the EU (108) characterized the coastlines of EU
countries according to 13 indicators of sensitivity and impact. From this characterization
follows that exposure to erosion is highest in Estonia, western Poland and
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