LRFrapport_2013015

equired. A major reason why the decreased nutrient loads have not resulted in large-scale
improvements is the phosphorus that since long time has been stored on the Baltic sea bed.
Under oxygen-free conditions this phosphorous is released in inorganic form to the water
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column – so called internal load. The BSAP governance model as currently constructed more
or less entirely neglects this internal load. Even though internal load cannot be functionally
directly compared to external (and new) load, it is of great significance to recognize it as a
source of phosphorus loads. Presently the internal loads are five times larger than current
external phosphorus supply. In some of the Baltic Sea basins it is even higher. In the Gulf of
Finland the internal load of phosphorous is ten times larger than the external load. The fact
that these conditions are ignored in the action plans within the BSAP process risk leading to
delays in restoring the Baltic Sea eutrophication, to increase the costs considerably more than
necessary for both taxpayers and economic operators, and to make this happen at the expense
of other important societal goals.
3.1.2 LRF's proposal
In the light of the substantial load reductions that have taken place, the analysis and action
plans need to be broadened to include measures that can take place directly in the Baltic Sea,
in addition to those in the catchment area. Such an approach would mean that, wherever
appropriate, measures addressing internal load should be considered and thereby ensure that
the restoration is done as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible and complementing
measures on land. It would seem appropriate that this new approach is used when the Baltic
countries in 2015, according to the MSFD, will develop their action plans. In this context, it
should be emphasised that measures in the Baltic Sea, like measures in the catchment area,
would still not lead to fast recovery.
Sweden has in recent years financed, developed and tested a series of measures that can be
implemented in the Baltic as cost-effective complements to actions in the catchment area. One
example is oxygenation, which can also be done with the help of offshore wind mills. Such a
combined approach essentially follows the same principle as used in the international actions
against long-range transported air pollution (LRTAP) and connected actions to restore
affected terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. That approach address measures aimed to