1. Monitoring and assessments of biodiversity in the Baltic Sea
Samuli Korpinen HELCOM Secretariat
Workshop on Biodiversity theme, 7-8 November 2012, Brussels
Photo: Metsähallitus

2. The HELCOM biodiversity core indicators
HELCOM core indicators
Population growth rates, abundance and distribution of marine mammals
Pregnancy rates of marine mammals
Nutritional status of seals
Number of drowned mammals and waterbirds in fishing gears
White-tailed eagle productivity
Abundance of waterbirds in the wintering season
Abundance of waterbirds in the breeding season
Number of waterbirds being oiled annually
Abundance of key fish species
Abundance of fish key functional groups
Proportion of large fish in the community
Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr
Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt
Zooplankton mean size and total abundance
State of the soft-bottom macrofauna communities
Lower depth distribution limit of macrophyte species
Population structure of long-lived macrozoobenthic species
Cumulative impact on benthic habitats
Extent, distribution and condition of benthic biotopes
Trends in arrival of new non-indigenous species
Fish diseases– a fish stress indicator
Reproductive disorders: Malformed eelpout and amphipod embryos
Imposex in snails

3. Follow-up system for Baltic state of the environment??
Populations +habitats
Alien species
Commercially exploited fish
Food web
Eutrophication
Contaminants
Litter
Noise
Mammals [3]
New NIS [1]
Fish stocks [3]
Fish stocks [3]
Seals [1]
Oxygen [1]
POPs [8]
Floating, seabed, beaches, micro, ingested
Impulsive + Background noise
Birds [1]
Transparency [1]
Metals [1]
Birds [3]
Fish community [1]
Fish community [1]
Nutrients [1]
Cs-137[1]
Coastal fish [1]
Coastal fish [1]
Chlorophyll [1]
Bioeffects [4]
Bioeffects [4]
Anadromousl fish [2]
Anadromousfish [2]
Coastal fish [1]
Coastal fish [1]
It would be interesting to have  a closer look at an coherence of all fish indicators
Macrozoo-benthos [2]
Zooplankton [1]
Macrophytes [1]
Habitats [2]

4. How the core indicators cover MSFD criteria?

5. State of the monitoring
Mammals [3]
Monitoring in place, only coordination
Bird populations [2]
Monitoring in place, only coordination and recognition of voluntary monitoring
Oiled birds
Setting up a few (selected) sites in the Baltic
Bycaught birds and mammals
Setting up a monitoring method
Coastal fish [2]
Monitoring in place, DCF data to support
Anadromousfish [2]
Monitoring in place, models to support
Fish community
Monitoring in place, ICES-HELCOM coord.
Fish stocks [3]
Monitoring in place, ICES-HELCOM coord.
Macrozoobenthos [2]
Monitoring in place, method development
Macrophytes [1]
Gaps in monitoring
Compilation of pressure data, periodic biotope assessments
Habitats [2]
Zooplankton [1]
Monitoring in place
New NIS [1]
Supported by port surveys

6. State of marine biodiversity monitoring
Photo: Metsähallitus

7. Revision of HELCOM monitoring strategy
2005 Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (
2004 Data and Information Strategy (
Objectives in the revision process:
Support monitoring of core indicators (new parameters)
Cost-efficiency: joint cruises, specialization of institutes, responsible expert groups (updates, data flows, quality control, assessment products)
Thematic assessments, assessment tools
Leads to revised monitoring guidelines (COMBINE)
Timeline: strategy ready in mid-2013, then to the guidelines..

8. Strategic map of HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment
Well-informed
decision making
Cost-efficiency
High quality
Coordination
and shared
responsibilities
Governance
Adaptation
Monitoring and assessment system that enables measuring progress towards the jointly agreed targets
Monitoring and assessment system which enables evaluation of the effectiveness of measures
Optimisation of the use of natinal resources through a regional coordination system
Maximisation of synergies through joint activities, specialisation and shared responsibilities: 9*1<9
Scientifically sound, fit for purpose and timely assessment products
High quality data and assessments through common methods and rigourous QA and QC
Streamlined processes for monitoring, data flows and assessments
Processes and structures for good coordination of national activities with the aim to reach optimisation regionally
Joint activities, surveys and campaigns
Specialisation and sharing
HELCOM expert groups responsible for assessment processes
Use of HELCOM as the coordination and optimising platform of national monitoring
Sufficient funding for the coordination activities and implementation of the optimised system
Simple indicators to follow the implementation of the Strategy e.g. number of joint activities
Review of the Strategy as needs be based on the follow-up information

9. HELCOM assessment tool for biodiversity assessments
The preliminary HELCOM Biodiversity Assessment Tool (BEAT) was used in the Initial Holistic Assessment in It consists of:
Indicators nested in ’themes’ (e.g. populations, communities, habitats),
Reference condition + Acceptable deviation,
Weighting of individual indicators,
Five classes,
One-out-all-out principle among ’themes’,
Confidence rating of indicators, ’target’ and data
Revision of the tool according to MSFD requirements: new target setting, new themes, 2 classes?, etc.
Photo: S. Korpinen

10. Modelling approaches in monitoring and assessments
Baltic SeaAction Plan: motivates to find modelling approaches.
The BALANCE and EUSeaMap habitat models used in benthic assessments.
Noise model in LIFE+ BIAS project
Modelled targets for water transparency, oxygen + nutrients: TARGREV ensemble modelling.
Revised nutrient reduction scheme in 2013.
Photo: Metsähallitus

11. Photo: Jannica Haldin