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Home NATIONALFinland readies Baltic Sea management plan
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Tue, 03 Mar, 2015 01:20:07 AM
FTimes-STT Report, Mar 3
 
File picture of dirty Baltic Sea beach. File Photo Lehtikuva.
The new focus on taking care of the Baltic Sea is geared towards prevention of littering of beaches.
 
Finland has the most littered Baltic Sea beaches compared to the rest of the coastal nations, according to the evaluation of a recent study which included Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia.
 
Just like in other sea areas, the most common type of litters in the Baltic Sea is plastic.
 
“Still, the biggest problem faced by the Baltic Sea is eutrophication,” pointed out Minister of the Environment Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.
 
Her remarks came on the completion of the country’s maiden Baltic Sea management plan. The plan’s ambitious goal is to ensure that the sea is in good condition by 2020.
 
Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Minister of the Environment. File Photo Lehtikuva.
However, it is not expected that the objective of all the parties involved will be achieved by 2020, especially when it comes to eutrophication, said Maria Laamanen, an adviser to the environment ministry.
 
Grahn-Laasonen explained that oversupply of nutrients has dropped in all sea areas except in the Bay of Bothnia, emphasising that great steps have been taken to reverse eutrophication.
 
In keeping with marine europhication discipline, according to the just concluded plan, the country is required to reduce sea nutrient supply by 440 tonnes of phosphorous and 6,600 tonnes of nitrogen annually. Mostly, eutrophication is as result of agriculture.
 
A number of means were suggested on how to rehabilitate the beaches, with the minister stressing the importance of implementing different ways to improve the sea condition.
 
“We need a number of different ways. There are no easy tricks or shortcuts,” said Grahn-Laasonen.
 
File picture of dirty Baltic Sea beach. File Photo Lehtikuva.
She also stressed that the responsibility of cleaning the Baltic Sea should not be pushed to others and urged the country to take the initiative.
 
Furthermore, the minister pointed out that measures which have been observed to work should be spread as far as possible.
 
The domestic Baltic Sea management plan is estimated to cost 64 million euros. The minister said the cost will spread over a long period of time and also pointed out that sea protection would create savings as well as jobs.
 
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