Background for conference
The Baltic Sea Ecoregion covers a catchment area of 1.6 million km2, a surface area of theBaltic Sea of 0,37 million km2 and a total population of 85 million people. The Baltic Sea is a complex ecosystem with strong natural gradients from the Kattegat to the Bothnian Bay close to the Arctic Circle, and with 14 different countries discharging into the Baltic Sea and therefore influencing the water quality.
The Baltic Ecoregion
Environmental conditions in the Baltic Sea have already deteriorated significantly over the last century with extensive algae blooms and dead zones. The threats to the Baltic Sea include extensive inputs of nurients and toxicants, overfishing, and global warming. Restoration of the Baltic Sea ecosystem requires a harmonized management approach across all countries and inter-governmental stewardship, but also a sound scientific basis for choosing the economically
most optimal solutions ensuring sufficient measures are in place to achieve acceptable environmental conditions.
Management perspectives
The means for intergovernmental stewardship include the EU Marine Strategy Directive (MSD), The Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Habitats Directive (HD) Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) under the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM).
Objectives
This meeting targets managers, scientists and other stakeholders with interests in environmental managements of ecosystems. The purpose of the meeting is to present and discuss state of the art science-based management from regulating land-use in the catchment areas, consequences for the water borne and atmospheric emissions to effects for fishery, environmental quality and economy for the entire Baltic Sea Ecoregion.
Time and place
The meeting will be held 9-10. September 2009 at Ingeniørhuset, Kalvebod Brygge 31-33,
Copenhagen V.
Program Committee:
Bo Riemann, NERI, Denmark
Christoph Humborg, BNI, Sweden
Fredric Wulff, BNI, Sweden
Thomasz Zylicz, WEEC, Poland
Fritz Köster, DTU-Aqua, Denmark
Kaisa Kononen, BONUS EEIG, Finland