6th March 2002
Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) the umbrella organisation for environmental NGO's around the Baltic Sea, presents in its Yearbook 2002 Hazards and Possibilities for the Baltic Sea Region. All together 49 "Hot Spots" representing existing and upcoming threats, as well as Green Spots, representing good practices and positive examples providing possibilities for a sustainable development, are described in the book.
National CCB member organisations have highlighted upcoming threats and hazards, that so far not have received attention enough on the national and international level. Such hazards should be of concern for all Baltic citizens, including politicians and officials.
CCB also believes that the future focus must lie more on the Green Spots, i.e. on positive actions that inspire and convince people around the Baltic Sea to direct resources for a positive sustainable development. Green spots also represents new direction for development(such as direct nutrient recycling for municipal wastewater) rather than end-of-pipe constructions.
CCB has also identified some trends and areas that should be of special concern:
Eutrophication from small and diffuse
sources
Red spot - Nutrient load from small- and medium sized municipalities
and diffuse sources
Red spot - Intensive farming practices with high nutrient run-off,
Denmark
Red spot - increased road traffic and NOx pollution
Green spot - Sustainable Wastewater management in Västanfjärd
municipality, Finland
Green spot - Sustainable Wastewater management in Trosa municipality,
Sweden
Green spots - Introduction of new toilet systems with direct recycling
of nutrients, in Grostona and Renda, Latvia
Many threats to Baltic Sea and coastal
areas - new oil-terminals, harbours, housing areas, recreational
centres, marinas
Coastal strip protection is not respected.
Red spots -Primorsk oil-teminal and Baltic oil-pipeline system,
planned oil-terminal Batareynaya Bay, Ust-Luga port near Kurgalsky
nature reserve, Russia
Red spots - Oil terminal in Swinoujscie, Poland, and Butinge oil-terminal,
Lithuania
Red spot - Vuosaari harbour, Finland
Red spot - New harbour planned in Nynäshamn, south of Stockholm,
Sweden
Red spots - Impact of housing areas, industries, recreation centres,
marinas on coastal ecosystems (Germany, Latvia, Russia aso)
Hydro-electric power plants and dams
- upcoming threat
Red spot - Vuotos hydropower reservoir project, Finland
Red spots - many plans for construction of small hydro-power plants
in Latvia and Lithuania
Red spot - New dam on Vistula river, Poland
Red spot - 15 million USD investment programme to support small
hydro-power constructions in Sweden
Fisheries - a problematic sector with
strong environmental impact
Red spot - Drift-net fisheries of wild Baltic salmon
Red spot - Fish farming in the Archipelago Sea and Åland
islands, Finland-remarkable nutrient load
Red spot - Quotas for Baltic cod fisheries in 2002- 100 % more
than the scientific advice
a collapse is most probable
Green spot - Sustainable herring fisheries on Rügen island,
Germany
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
- Gunnar Norén,
Coaltion Clean Baltic, ph +46-70-560 53 52
- Ulrica Cronström,
Finnish Society for Nature and Environment, ph +358-40-563 30
44
- Hanna Matinpuro,
Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, ph +358-400-488 914