Ecosystem Services

1.2 Aim and scope of the report
Ecosystem services are one of the main priorities of the Nordic Environmental Action Programme
for 2013–2018. The work on ecosystem services is embedded in the Convention
on Biological Diversity, as one of the strategic objectives for the work forward in 2020.
This report is the result of a project financed by the working groups on Environment
and Economy (MEG), Coastal Environments (HAV) and Terrestrial Ecosystem (TEG) of
the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM). Collaborators have been the Norwegian Institute
for Water Research (NIVA), the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), GRID-Arendal
and AquaBiota Water Research.
The report aims to give an overview of the available information on the benefits
and values of ecosystem services in the coastal zone of the Nordic countries, through
illustrations and selected examples. Also, the possible uses and relevance for the management
of these areas, resources, important knowledge gaps, and recommendations
for further work are emphasized.
The assessment of ecosystems in the coastal zone and the services they provide is
a very broad subject. The task has therefore been restricted to a few selected shallowwater
ecosystems, all of which have great importance for the condition and management
of key ecological functions in the Nordic countries. The four selected ecosystems
are 1) kelp forests, 2) eelgrass meadows, 3) blue mussel beds, and 4) shallow bays and
inlets, which together cover large parts of the Nordic countries’ coastal areas.
Geographically, the assessment includes the following Nordic countries: Denmark,
Finland, Norway, Sweden, Aland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The team expertise
has in particular been strong on the coastal ecosystems surrounding Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Denmark (including the north-western Baltic Sea, Bottenvika, Kattegat,
Skagerrak, North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea) – and the valuation of these.
For an assessment of the other areas (e.g. the south-eastern Baltic, the Faroe Islands
and Iceland), we have used available literature and relevant contacts and networks.
The coastal zone has been defined as all marine areas within one nautical mile outside
the baseline, which consists of line segments between the outermost islands and
reefs along the coast at low tide. Thus, ecosystem services related to fisheries (except
those related to nursing grounds for fish and recreational fishing), petroleum industry,
and shipping are kept out of this evaluation.
This report attempts to cover all services provided by the selected ecosystems of
the coastal zone of the Nordic countries. However, greater emphasis has been placed
on recreational (coastal) fishing, carbon capture and storage, and the ecosystems’ role
in buffering against ocean acidification and eutrophication. For blue mussels and kelp
20 Ecosystem Services