Local collaboration on the Baltic Sea issues for improving the state of the sea

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1 Local collaboration on the Baltic Sea issues for improving the state of the sea HERC Lotta Ruokanen City of Helsinki Environment Centre

2 Challenge to improve the state of the Baltic Sea The initiative from the Mayors of Helsinki and Turku The campaign was launched in June 2007 Baltic Sea Challenge consists of three parts: The summary of the state of the Baltic Sea and concern about it The action plan of the cities Helsinki and Turku The challenge to other actors

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4 Communiqué With this undertaking and the associated challenge, the cities of Helsinki and Turku are demonstrating their concern about the state of the Baltic Sea and of its future Through this commitment the cities resolve to put into practice such measures that will enable the cities of Helsinki and Turku to have an influence on the state of local waters as well as the entire Baltic Sea Through the challenge campaign the cities would also like to get other actors involved in the work for improving the state of the Baltic Sea

5 The state of the Baltic Sea Eutrophication is regarded as being the greatest and most serious threat to the Baltic Sea Eutrophication is mainly due to the high nutrient loading coming from the catchment area, which is approximately four times the size of the surface area of the Baltic Sea (14 countries and approx. 90 million residents in the drainage basin) The Gulf of Finland is the most eutrophicated area, and it will not be able to withstand its current nutrient loading, that is three times greater than that of other areas of the Baltic Sea

6 Factors affecting the state of the Baltic Sea Baltic Sea is being burdened most by the nutrient loading and hazardous substances that have entered and are entering the sea, and also the greatly increased amount of shipping Eutrophication is caused by human activities, such as community wastewaters, agriculture, scattered settlements, traffic, energy production and industry

7 New threats The latest major threats to the Baltic Sea are the increased oil and chemical transportation, gas pipelines, environmental toxins, invasive alien species, and global climate change In the Gulf of Finland, the overall amount of ship traffic is estimated to be 160 million tons by year 2010, and about half of it would be oil transportations American comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi

8 Actions by the cities of Turku and Helsinki 1. Reducing the amount of point source loading Improving the cities sewage networks The cities will prepare up a urban storm water handling plan Increase the modernisation of the sewage network and try to minimize wastewater overflows Encouraging real estate owners to direct drainage and rainwater from their properties into the urban storm water sewers Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region Water and sewage departments

9 2. Reducing diffuse pollution 2.1 Reducing agricultural loading Agricultural area owned by the cities to be changed to model areas as far as agricultural water protection actions are concerned Using the direct sowing method, reduce fertilizer use, calculate nutrient levels for different sections of the fields, use of wide unfertilized and uncultivated protection zones Set special water protection requirements for those fields that the city rents out Aim is to end the cultivation of erosion and flooding sensitive land Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region Farmers Unions State Agricultural Agencies

10 2. Reducing diffuse pollution 2.2 Reduction of wastewater emissions from scattered settlements Extending the sewage network to the areas that are most important in terms of water protection The cities will encourage the establishment of wastewater consortiums in scattered settlement areas Financial support activities By 2010, the cities will improve the wastewater treatment systems in real estates owned by the cities in the scattered settlement areas Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region Water and sewage departments

11 3. Dredging of contaminated sediment Dredging to remediate the areas of worst pollution by organotin compounds or other hazardous substances Dredging will focus on those areas that have the risk of spreading the substances to clean or already cleaned areas The cities work in cooperation with other actors to establish treatment and disposal areas for contaminated sediment and to develop new treatment methods Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region State Maritime Administration Harbour towns, harbours, marinas and docks

12 4. Reducing the wastewater discharges from shipping and boating Change the harbour due fees: wastewater charge is automatically included in the vessel waste fee, irrespective of whether the vessel discharges its wastewater to land or not Arrange discharge points at the docking berths Create better preconditions for vessels in regular operation to use shore to ship -electricity in harbours Increase the number of septic tank emptying facilities at harbours, marinas and camping areas Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region State Maritime Administration Shipping Companies Harbour towns, harbours and marinas Ministries of Transport and Communications

13 5. International cooperation The cities support international environmental projects focusing on the Baltic Sea through their own networks Baltic Metropolises (BaltMet) and Union of Baltic Cities (UBC) For example Clean Baltic Sea project by John Nurminen Foundation Invest in international environment cooperation Challenge to other actors Other municipalities Businesses Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of the Interior Baltic Metropolises Union of Baltic Cities

14 6. Research activities and the establishment of a professorship The cities participate in research projects connected with improving the state of Baltic Sea Helsinki will established an endowed professorship in the field of environmental research or protection Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the region Universities Polytechnics Other municipalities Businesses

15 Professorship and research: situation in May 2008 City of Helsinki and University of Helsinki: co-operation working group September 2007 April 2008 During autumn 2007: the current situation of the research and teaching in the UH concerning the Baltic Sea and a proposal for the co-operation programme During spring 2008: proposal for the number of professors, their fields of expertise and rest of the funding for professorships The professorships Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: Economics of the Baltic Sea protection Faculty of Biosciences: Integrated Assessment and Management of the Baltic Coastal Ecosystems Extra funding besides City of Helsinki is under negotiations with several organizations Co-operation in research New action plan concerning the Baltic Sea strategy of the University of Helsinki Joint operation and purchase of research equipment and sampling vessels

16 7. To establish a fund for the protection of the Archipelago Sea City of Turku takes part in establishing the Archipelago Sea Protection Fund in association with the Centrum Balticum foundation Aim of the fund is to support water protection actions and research of the Archipelago Sea The fund has been established in November 2007 Challenge to other actors Municipalities and companies in the Archipelago Sea drainage basin

17 8. Increasing awareness about the Baltic Sea Increase the awareness of the municipal residents about the state of the Baltic Sea and their possibilities to contribute to improving the state Organising thematic evenings and information events Cooperation with other actors Challenge to other actors BaltMet- and UBC member cities Other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region Educational institutes Societys The media

18 Challenge Concerned about the state of the Baltic Sea and its future, and committing themselves to the actions put forward above, the Cities of Helsinki and Turku wish to show a good example to others for saving the Baltic Sea for future generations. The cities challenge: the Baltic Metropolises and Union of the Baltic Cities member cities the other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region, government organizations and other parties mentioned above, all citizens, non-governmental organizations, businesses, unions and educational institutes to become involved in action to achieve the common goal.

19 Review of the Baltic Sea Challenge situation Challenge has been sent to over 600 actors in Finland At the moment positive response from c. 110 actors 60 municipalities 8 universities 25 NGOs, organisations and societys 2 Regional Environmental Centres (Southwest Finland and Uusimaa) 3 Corporations (Finnlines, Viking Line, Turun korjaustelakka Oy) 14 other actors (e.g. Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Finnish Maritime Administration, Regional Council of Satakunta, Agrifood Research Finland, Tampere Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Turku Chamber of Commerce) The challenged actors will make their own action plans ~ 40 action plans made at the time Webpages for the challenge have been established and opened Next step is to expand the challenge to the international level (network of the Union of the Baltic Cities and Baltic Metropolises) during 2008

20 Action plans of the challenged actors ~ 40 action plans submitted by the end of April 2008, of which 75 %: increase the consciousness of the state of the Baltic Sea and how to have an effect on it (8.) training, campaigns, counselling, organising seminars, supporting of environmental education in schools, organising competitions, cooperation projects 50 %: reducing diffuse nutrient loading (2.) sewerage of scattered settlement areas, forestry, several actions in farming, 40 %: reducing point source loading (1.) e.g. sewerage management, stormwater treatment 25 %: shipping and leisure boating (4.) waste water and waste receiving policies and oil spill equipment of harbours, discounts of harbour fees on environmental basis, management of contaminated sediments, electricity distribution in ports, sewage and bilge water reception facilities Also other actions (5.-8.) mentioned, as well as some new: enhancing the recreational use of waters, employing new staff to environmental adiministration, observing and reporting of the state of the Baltic Sea to the authorities

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22 International expansion Aim is that the cities in other Baltic Sea countries prepare their own commitments and organize a national Challenge campaign Letters to the capitals Stockholm, Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga have been sent in April 2008 In May 2008 letters to the following cities: BaltMet: St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo UBC: Kaliningrad, Gdansk, Lübeck/Rostock, Umeå, Århus, Pärnu, Liepaja, Klaipeda In June 2008 an international coordination meeting in Helsinki

23 Thank you for your attention!