The Baltic Sea Challenge:
Five waves of action for the Baltic Sea 2019-2023
We invite organisations in the Baltic Sea region to commit to protecting the Baltic Sea and their nearby waters. At the same time, we invite the actors to join the extensive Baltic Sea Challenge network, which allows its members to share information, carry out water protection measures and learn together to improve the status of our waters. Together, we can realise our vision of a clean, productive and shared Baltic Sea.
Initiators of the Baltic Sea Challenge, the Cities of Helsinki and Turku
Our shared vision
A clean, productive and shared Baltic Sea
Our shared challenges
Clean Baltic Sea is a productive Baltic Sea. We recognise that reconciling the need to utilise the sea with efforts to improve its ecological status presents a challenge. We challenge ourselves and our organisations to take action for ensuring the good status of the Baltic Sea, in order to strengthen the shared sense of ownership of our waters and the responsibility for their wellbeing.
Our shared answer
We take up this shared challenge voluntarily, with actions and cooperation that exceed the requirements of the law and our core operations, in order to reduce our contribution to e.g. the nutrient and hazardous substance loading to our nearby waters and to the Baltic Sea, and to help restore the good status of the sea.
Our shared commitment
To realise our vision, we commit to the following shared objectives:
1. Clear coastal waters
We commit to reduce the loading by suspended solids and eutrophying nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, from various sources to inland waters and the Baltic Sea. In addition, the utilisation and recycling of nutrients will be enhanced in our own processes, while striving for nutrient neutrality.
2. Healthy marine habitat
We commit to reduce the concentrations of harmful substances, amount of littering and underwater noise in the marine environment, in such a way that the marine environment is doing well and good ecological status of the sea can be attained. In the actions aiming at reducing the loading, the marine environment is considered as a whole.
3. Clean and safe water traffic
We commit to reduce and prevent emissions of nutrients and harmful substances from various sizes of vessels into the air, land and water, to ensure sufficient prevention of oil and chemical accidents and to prepare for response actions. In actions related to water traffic, supporting sustainable private boating and developing safe public water transport routes are taken into account.
4. Systematic water area management
We commit to supplement information on underwater nature in the water areas and to implement principles of multifunctional use. We also take into account the risks posed by the climate change and invasive alien species. This way, planning, construction and maintenance take into account various activities and changes in the environment that influence the same areas, and we can reconcile the different forms of use.
5. Active Baltic Sea citizenship
We commit to increase awareness of the state of the Baltic Sea and the nearby waters and how to influence it, and to strengthen the engagement and Baltic Sea experiences of the residents and various interest groups, such as businesses, civil society organisations and educational institutes. This refers to the experience of how one’s own actions, within one’s own reference group, can have an impact and how improving the state of the waters also creates economic opportunities.