Download What is the status?

The HELCOM Initial Holistic Assessment
of Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea
2003-2007
Jesper H. Andersen, DHI, Denmark
1/18
EEA Eionet Marine Workshop
25 October 2010
EEA, Copenhagen, Denmark
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
• Adopted in the 2007
Krakow Ministerial Meeting
• Ecosystem-based
approach to management
of human activities
• Ecological objectives
• Measures and actions for:
–
–
–
–
Eutrophication
Hazardous substances
Maritime activities
Biodiversity and nature
conservation
• National Implementation
Programmes in 2010
2/18
HELCOM monitoring and
assessment strategy
3/18
4/18
•
Based on data from HELCOM’s
coordinated monitoring
programmes
•
Use of indicator-based
assessment tools
Initial Holistic Assessment of the
Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea
2003-2007
• Overview of the ecosystem
health of the Baltic Sea in
2003-2007
• Status, anthropogenic
pressures and economic
analysis
• Baseline for assessing the
effectiveness of the
implementation of the
measures of the HELCOM
BSAP – How far are we from
reaching good
environmental / ecological
status?
• Contribution to the EU
MSFD implementation
5/18
Ecosystem health status of the entire
sea was impaired in 2003-2007
•
Based on biological and
chemical status indicators
•
In all sub-basins the status
was classified as being
impaired, i.e. moderate,
poor or bad
•
The poor/bad status of the
Baltic Sea Proper is due to
eutrophication,
contamination with
hazardous substances and
decline of biodiversity
•
Gulf of Bothnia is the subbasin with the least
impaired status
The map of ’ecosystem health’ above uses HOLAS:
•
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The HELCOM Holistic Ecosystem Health Assessment Tool (HOLAS) – a merger
of HEAT, BEAT and CHASE taking key BSAP, WFD and MSFD principles into
account – in principle equivalent to ’GES’ sensu MSFD
What are the pressures on
the marine environment?
•
•
Analysis of anthropogenic pressures :
52 data layers, here just a few examples...
A single activity may result in many pressures
Bottom
trawling
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Shipping
intensity
Airborne
nitrogen
deposition
Underwater
noise
Baltic Sea Pressure Index
Spatial distribution of the sum of humaninduce pressures
The BSPI methodology:
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•
•
For each 5x5 km square of
the sea, pressures taking
place in that area were
summed up
•
Human activities put a
pressure on the entire sea
area with the least
pressure in the northern
areas and the most in the
eastern, southeastern and
southern areas
The Baltic Sea Pressure Index is based on Halpern et al. (2008)
The map above:
•
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Chlorophyll a (µg L-1)
Secchi (m)
What is the status? – Eutrophication
The HELCOM Eutrophication Assessment Tool (HEAT) – a modernised version
of OSPAR COMP as well as based on WFD principles
Eutrophication:
Trends of the nutrient inputs
Total waterborne load of nitrogen from all HELCOM countries to the Baltic Sea,
1995-2008
•
During 1995-2006, there
was no obvious reduction
of nitrogen and phosphorus
inputs due to measures
taken (some data lacking
for 2007/08)
•
The BSAP targets have not
been permanently reached
for either nutrient and
there are differences in the
performance of the
countries
•
Further work will be
needed especially if climate
change increases the loads
Total waterborne
loads
800000
700000
600000
Non flow-normalised
direct coastal loads
500000
400000
Maximum allowable
waterborne input in
BSAP
300000
200000
BSAP 1997-2003
average load (nonnormalised)
100000
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
0
1995
N,t
Total waterborne load of phosphorus from all HELCOM countries to the Baltic Sea,
1995-2008
Total waterborne
loads
45000
40000
35000
Non flow-normalised
direct coastal loads
30000
25000
20000
Maximum allowable
waterborne input in
BSAP
15000
10000
BSAP 1997-2003
average load (nonnormalised)
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2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
0
p,t
1995
5000
Costs and benefits of
reaching the BSAP targets for
eutrophication
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What is the status?
– Hazardous substances
1600
1.2
1400
DDE - PCB
1000
.8
800
.6
600
mean productivity
1.0
1200
.4
400
.2
200
0
.0
65
70
75
80
85
Year
90
95
00
05
pia - 09.10.16 16:30, PR_DDE_PCB2
The example above:
•
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•
Mean productivity (green line) vs. egg lipid concentrations of DDE (red) and PCBs (blue)
of the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) on the Swedish Baltic Sea coast from
1965–2005 (Helander et al. 2002, 2008).
The HELCOM Chemical Status Assessment Tool (CHASE).
What is the status?
– Biodiversity and nature conservation
Biodiversity status
Bottom trawling intensity
The map above:
•
The HELCOM Biodiversity Status Assessment Tool (BEAT) – based on HEAT as
well as BSAP and Habitats Directive principles
Follow-up actions:
•
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•
Continue dialogue between the fisheries and environment sectors – HELCOM’s Fisheries
and Environment Forum
Assess if unsustainable fishing practices are taking place in protected areas
Designation of Baltic Marine
Protected Ares
14/18
• We have reached the
10 % target for the
regional network of
marine protected areas
set by the UN CBD
COP7
• ... but the network is
not yet ecologically
coherent and wellmanaged
• Science-based
designation principles
taking coherence into
account are now being
used (MARXAN)
Take home messages
• The Baltic Sea is in a bad shape!
• Assessments have moved from simple trend
assessments and SoE assessments to complex
indicator-based status assessments
• We have developed and applied the following
indicator-based tools:
– HEAT (eutrophication)
– CHASE (hazardous substances)
– BEAT (biodiversity)
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HOLAS
(’ecosystem health’)
• BSPI (cumulative pressure index) and BSII (not shown today)
• Future MPA are likely to be designated on the basis
of scientific principles (MARXAN)
Looking into the future
• Review of environmental targets for eutrophication, and
as a follow-up also a review of nutrient reduction targets
• Further development of indicators and targets (especially
biodiversity and hazardous substances)
• Assessment of the threat status of species and biotopes:
updating and creating Red Lists
• Revision of monitoring programmes
• There is no such thing as a perfect assessment tool!
Further development of the tool box will take place via the
HARMONY project (a North Sea/Kattegat activity feeding
back to both MSFD and BSAP implementation)
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Thank you for your attention!
Please study the HELCOM assessments
as well as the tool box
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