Press release 2013-01-14 at 12:00
For the first time, Finland, Russia and Estonia are joining forces to carry out a comprehensive survey on the state of the Gulf of Finland, as well as to find ways for citizens and enterprises to contribute, in collaboration with researchers, to the health of this maritime environment. The theme year will be concluded by the preparation of the Gulf of Finland Declaration, a document in which those decision-makers in the coastal states that are engaged in the project will commit themselves to measures that will promote sustainable use of the Gulf of Finland. Young people will prepare their own Gulf of Finland Declaration.
The Gulf of Finland is a shared concern and it calls for shared care
The Gulf of Finland Year 2014, a joint effort between Finland, Russia and Estonia, has been agreed on by the ministries responsible for environmental protection in the countries involved. The steering group, founded in Finland, is headed by Hannele Pokka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment. ”Although the environmental ministries are playing a coordinating role, the issue involves several policy areas in each country, as well as the economy and society at large. The Gulf of Finland Year 2014 also has a strong regional dimension, as well as one that involves cooperation between the EU and Russia. One of the goals is to support HELCOM in its efforts to chart the specific features of the Gulf of Finland”.
Gulf of Finland Year 2014 Network will be established as a supporting community for the Gulf of Finland Year 2014. Invitations to the Network will be extended to parties who wish to participate in the execution of the Gulf of Finland Year. Enterprises are also emerging as strong stakeholders in environmental cooperation.
“The plan is to establish similar communities in Russia and Estonia,” says Matti Vanhanen, Executive Director of the Finnish Family Firms Association, invited to assemble the Network. “Volunteer activities for such a large project create broad-based commitment across society.”
Gulf of Finland Year 2014 Network will convene for the first time in February 2013. Representatives of coastal towns and municipalities, communities, companies and the media will be invited to the meeting.
”We aim to make the Gulf of Finland Year 2014 a comprehensive event that reaches people living on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Extensive cooperation with both the private and public sectors is required for a successful theme year. This will secure the financial support and visibility needed,” says Kai Myrberg of the Finnish Environment Institute, acting as coordinator of the Gulf of Finland Year 2014.
Promotion of cooperation in research
“This theme year will see ever closer cooperation between Finland, Russia and Estonia, in surveying the state of the Gulf of Finland. A joint monitoring network will be created for the region, with better coverage of the entire Gulf,” explains Kai Myrberg. “We wish to disseminate scientific information jointly produced by these three countries, as well as information on practical measures for improving the state of the Gulf of Finland, to the widest possible audience.”
Results of the Gulf of Finland Year 2014 research are directly applied to environmental education. Courses, events and excursions will be organised for schoolchildren, teachers and the public in Finland, Estonia and Russia. The objective of these activities is to disseminate information as widely as possible on practical measures to improve the state of the Gulf of Finland.
The Gulf of Finland Year 2014 will end with a Gulf of Finland Declaration, prepared by experts of Finland, Estonia and Russia. Through this declaration, the coastal states will commit themselves to promoting the sustainable use of the Gulf of Finland. The intention is to have Russia, Estonia and Finland’s ministers of the environment sign the declaration. These ministers have already committed to the implementation of the Gulf of Finland Year 2014, through a common Memorandum of Understanding. In addition to researchers and decision-makers, Gulf of Finland Year 2014 Network will play an important role in preparing the declaration. Young people will prepare their own Gulf of Finland Declaration.
Action plans for the Gulf of Finland Year 2014 were presented on Monday 14th of January on the marine research vessel Aranda, which set off on its three-week winter research expedition on the Baltic Sea. During this cruise, researchers of the Finnish Environment Institute and the Finnish Meteorological Institute will collect information on the current state of the Gulf of Finland.
Further information
Gulf of Finland Year
Leading Researcher Kai Myrberg, Finnish Environment Institute,
tel. +358 50 511 0078, firstname.lastname@environment.fi
The Aranda cruise
Development Manager Juha Flinkman, Finnish Environment Institute,
tel. +358 40 750 3911, firstname.lastname@environment.fi