Lena Bergström, Project Coordinator lena.bergstrom@helcom.fi Second holistic assessment of ecosystem health in the Baltic Sea HOLAS II Lena Bergström, Project Coordinator lena.bergstrom@helcom.fi 2015-09-30 HELCOM ESA WS 1-2015

A holistic assessment – why? Follow up on the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) Serve as a regional roof report for the 2018 reporting of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Photo: Ulf Bergström Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

The Baltic Sea Action Plan Good Ecological status restored by 2021 “A healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of sustainable economic and social activities.” HELCOM 2007: www.helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

Marine Strategy Framework Directive Marine waters provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and productive (MSFD Article 3) www.ec.europa.eu Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

The MSFD assessment cycle Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

Timeline Years in focus for the assessment: 2011-2016 Development of tools and concepts Improvement of data flows Operalization of core indicators Prepare draft report Consul-tation period Finalizing report Carrying out assessments 2015 2016 2017 2018

Main components of the assessment Pressures & human activites Environmental status Biodiversity Economic and social impacts Hazardous substances Sufficiency of measures Eutrophication Maritime activities

Project Structure HOLAS II Chair and HOLAS II Core Team Lead Country A3 Lead Country A4+A5 Expert workshops Project Researcher/ Consultant A1 HELCOM WGs, projects, expert groups Project Coordinator Supporting projects Eg. BalticBOOST, TAPAS Project Researcher/ Consultant A2

Method and concept developments HELCOM environmental status assessment tools Biodiversity Hazardous substances Eutrophication The Baltic Sea Pressure and Impact Indices Framework for socioeconomic analyses Photo: Lena Bergström Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

A little bit more on the planned assessments Name Surname

Indicators HELCOM Core indicators ICES (commercial fish) Regionally agreed, quantitative GES boundary Gap filling to enhance the number of Core indicators

Indicators potentially available for HOLAS II Name Surname

Indicator grouping -example Holistic assessment (?) Thematic assessment Descriptor BSAP key segments Thematic assessment Descriptor BSAP key segments Sub-level group Criterion Element Sub-level group Criterion Element Sub-level group Criterion Element Indicator 1 Indicator 2 Indicator 3 Indicator 4 Indicator 5 Lena Bergström

Proposed grouping of MSFD descriptors According to working documents for the MSFD Decision Review* *eg workshop on cross-cutting issues, Jan 2015 Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

Indicator Assessment units 1) Level 1: Entire Baltic Sea 2) Level 2: 17 units

Assessment units (cont.) 3) Level 3 17 units with coastal areas separated 4) Level 4: WFD Water bodies

Pressures and human activities Spatial distribution of pressures and activities Combine with ecosystem layers into an impact index (Cumulative Effects Assessment, based on impact scores) Lena Bergström, HOLAS II

The Baltic Sea pressure and impact indices (BSPI and PSII) Pressure index Summed intensity of pressures Impact Index) Pressure and ecosystem data combined using Impact scores Korpinen et al 2012. Ecological Indicators 15:105-114.

Economic and social analyses THIS WORKSHOP Cost of degradation (benefit of measures to improve status) The use of marine waters Linkages to the assessment of environmental status, pressure and human activities Regional aspects Aspects that can be harmonised Proposed way forward Report to the next Core team meeting 24-25 November, 2015 .