The Baltic Sea Regional Project, BSRP
An ambitious project to support management of the Baltic Sea ecosystem
The Baltic Sea is an ecosystem under extreme stress. The four main
threats are eutrophication from agricultural
activities, contaminant loading from industrial
activities, overexploitation of living marine
resources, and invasive species, mainly introduced with ballast waters.
With the aim to improve the health of the Baltic Sea Large Marine Ecosystem, the coastal states
have grouped together with the support of a number of key organisations,
to set up the innovative Baltic Sea Regional
Project (BSRP).
The BSRP began in March 2003
and was planned to run in two phases, the first of which was finished at the end of June 2007. The project budget for this period was US$ 12 million. The launching of a second phase of the project is pending the finalisation and results of the on-going evaluation of the first phase.
The total budget for the six-year project (2003-2009) has been estimated to about US$ 40 million of which a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant is expected to provide about US$ 10- million. During the first phase of the BSRP US$ 5.5 has been transferred from the GEF to the recipient countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Russian Federation. Additional funding came from various grant programs and projects of the European Commission and bilateral assistance from cooperating countries; Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and USA. Since Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland joined the EU during the first phase of the BSRP, only the Russian Federation is eligible for GEF support during the second phase.
Download project files
- Project Appraisal Document (2.5mb zipped
pdf file)
- Project Implementation Plan - text
and annexes
(zipped Word files)
- Additional annexes: Vol.2
A 1, Vol.2
A 1 Annex 3, Vol.2 A
2,
Vol.2
A 2 Annex 9, Vol.2
A 2 Annex 10 Map 2.
- BSRP Mid-term report (Word file)
For a general overview of the status of the Baltic Sea, its past, present and future: see Thulin & Andrishaitis - (PDF file) (Presentation)
View all documents and powerpoint presentations produced and presented within Component 1, Large marine Ecosystem activities during 2003-2006 (click here) and the latest ones (click here).
Large Marine EcosystemThe project is built on the Large Marine Ecosystem
(LME) concept, which basically means that since pollution and marine life do not
respect state boundaries, management should also be at a higher regional level.
The Baltic Sea is a Large Marine Ecosystem, which is defined as a region of marine
coastal space characterized by distinct, but similar bathymetry, hydrography,
productivity, and trophic linkages.
Project objectives
The long-term objective of the BSRP is to introduce ecosystem-based
assessments to strengthen the management of Baltic Sea coastal and
marine environments. This will be achieved through regional cooperation
and targeted, cost-effective trans-boundary coastal, marine and
watershed activites.
A major objective of the BSRP is to develop an array of
ecosystem management tools to manage the whole Baltic Sea ecosystem.
This means that management decisions will apply not only to the
immediate recipients (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Poland),
but also to all states included in the Baltic Sea catchment area,
which is four times larger than the Baltic Sea itself.
The overall aims of the project are to improve the Baltic marine
environment, to promote sustainable use of the area, and to maximise
economic benefits for coastal communities.
The
Baltic Sea Regional Project (BSRP) is composed of four
components:
C1: Baltic Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Activities
This component is managed by ICES and aims at developing:
1. Ecosystem-based assessments and management of the Baltic Sea;
2. Coordination and integration of regional monitoring and assessment;
and
3. Improved management practices to increase and sustain fishery
yields and biological productivity of the Baltic Sea LME.
C2: Land
and Coastal Management Activities
The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is managing this part of the
project in conjunction with the Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences. The aim is to:
1. Reduce the non-point-source pollution (eutrophication)
from agricultural activities
2.
improve the national management
of hotspots, e.g., lagoons, in the Eastern Baltic.
C3: Institutional
Strengthening and Capacity Building
This component is
managed by HELCOM and ICES and aims to:
1. Improve the valuation of ecosystem
goods and services;
2. Strengthen local and regional decision-making
and management capacity;
3. Achieve a more integrated approach to ecosystem-based
management of the Baltic Sea LME.
C4: Project Management
This final component is managed by HELCOM in cooperation with ICES.
The Component 1 Coordinator (C1C) (Jan Thulin) is based at ICES HQ while the Assistant Coordinator (C1AC) (Andris Andrushaitis) is based in Riga, Latvia. The overall project administration is managed by a Project Implementation Team (PIT) which is based at HELCOM.
Improving links between Baltic states
and EU
One important focus of the project is helping to develop
partnerships between the European Union and the Baltic coastal states
to improve the sustainable use of trans-boundary living marine
resources. This will be achieved e.g. by strengthening cooperative mechanisms
through the development of regional networks.
For further information about the project please contact
Jan Thulin (CV)
Baltic Sea
Regional Project
ICES
H.C. Andersens Blv. 44-46
DK-1553 Copenhagen V
Denmark
E-mail: jan@ices.dk
Andris Andrushaitis
GEF Baltic Sea Regional Project
Institute of Aquatic Ecology University of Latvia
8 Daugavgrivas street
LV 1048, Riga, Latvia
Phone: +371 7610850
Fax: +371 7601995
E-mail:
andris@hydro.edu.lv
You can also visit: HELCOM/BSRP
Useful
websites
HELCOM
Council of the Baltic Sea States
Baltic Marine Environment Bibliography
Baltic Marine Biologists
BONUS
BONUS/ICES
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