Ecosystem Services

Within two weeks, the charophyte community recovered in spite of a constant reduction
of light down to 25% of the natural irradiance, suggesting that charophytes are
able to adapt to a low light environment and recover their photosynthetic performance
even under stressful brackish conditions (Kovtun-Kante et al. 2014).
6.5.5 Coastal defense
All structures dampening wave and current energy favor sediment retention and
coastal protection. Generally, leaf biomass reduces wave energy and root systems act
to stabilize the sediment, counteract erosion and mitigate disturbance from storms and
floods. Although not well documented, there is reason to believe that many of the submerged
rooted plants of the bays and inlets will have such sediment stabilizing effects
(Madsen et al. 2001). On the other hand, it is also known that these environments, in
specific the charales, are very sensitive to erosion from boats (Eriksson et al. 2004), so
the coastal defense benefits from this ecosystem are not believed to be extensive.
6.6 Cultural services
6.6.1 Recreational fisheries
Recreational sea fishing is a high-value leisure activity in the Nordic countries (Toivonen et
al. 2004). Recreational fishers generally express a higher willingness to pay for the preservation
of the existing fish stocks, although non-participants are also willing to pay even if it
represents non-use values (Toivonen et al. 2004). In Sweden, 1.6 million people (17%) between
the ages 16–80 years old fished recreationally during 2013 (total population 9.6 million
(SwAM 2014)), which is a lower proportion of the population compared to Finland,
where 28% of the population undertook recreational fishing in 2012 (FGFRI 2014).
The total number of fishing days along the Swedish coast and in the sea was 4 million,
and the most important species for sea based fishing were perch, pike, mackerel
(Scomber scombrus), sea trout and herring. Total expenditure was SEK 5.8 billion, but
the amount which can be attributed to the fish production of shallow, wave sheltered
bays and inlets of the northern Baltic Sea remains unknown. Nevertheless, the value of
non-market benefits such as improving the preservation of currently “pristine” areas,
habitat forming vegetation and large predatory fish stocks is considered high, albeit
variable, among citizens in Finland, Sweden and Lithuania (Kosenius and Olikainen
2015), suggesting that a long-term sustainable balance between the use and preservation
of these ecosystems and associated services for human well-being is a priority.
92 Ecosystem Services