Biodiversea LIFE-IP — for Marine Nature
The BIODIVERSEA LIFE-IP is the largest collaborative project in Finland to safeguard the diverse nature of the Baltic Sea.
Aiming for an Effective Protected Area Network
The aim of the project is to enhance the conservation of marine nature and promote the sustainable use of natural resources in the marine and coastal regions of Finland.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy aims to protect 30 per cent of Europe's seas by 2030. The LIFE-IP BIODIVERSEA project will find ways how to achieve this 30 by 30 objective in Finland in the most efficient and socially sustainable way.
Increasing the area of protected areas alone is not enough to safeguard the diversity of marine nature. The project will therefore seek ways to make the existing protected area network more effective, for example, by better taking underwater nature values into account when planning the management and use of the areas. The effects of climate change on biota and anthropogenic pressures will also be studied to ensure the effectiveness of conservation also in the future.
Strong link to VELMU
Based on the data of the Finnish Inventory Programme for Underwater Marine Diversity, VELMU, the most diverse and valuable underwater nature sites will be identified and a road map drawn up, covering the entire coastline to enhance the protected area network.
In addition, information is collected for the selection of restoration sites, for the needs of marine spatial planning and for reconciling the different uses of the marine area.
SYKE's focus is on the protected area network and human pressures
The main focus of the Finnish Environment Institute is on the development of the protected area network and in identifying human pressures affecting marine nature as well as measures to mitigate them. SYKE identifies, among other things, the most acute problems in the protection of species and habitats, as well as assesses how the pressures develop in the future. SYKE creates the first map of underwater noise in Finland, which also takes into account the noise of small boats, studies the quality of litter that ends up in the sea, and organizes litter cleanup campaigns together with Metsähallitus and Keep the Archipelago Tidy association. SYKE is responsible for developing a marine biodiversity monitoring network and indicators and is involved in the implementation of monitoring in the Finnish marine areas. In addition, SYKE develops monitoring of seabird stocks and conducts a socio-economic study of the project actions.
The total budget of SYKE is €4,216,046, of which the EU LIFE programme funds €2,529,628.
Broad Consortium
The project is coordinated by Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife. Also involved are the Ministry of the Environment, Åland Provincial Government, Geological Survey of Finland GTK, Natural Resources Institute (Luke), Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, and Baltic Sea Action Group.
The project main website: www.metsa.fi/biodiversea.
© Photo: Mats Westerbom
Inquiries:
SYKE's contribution to the project is led by Research Professor Markku Viitasalo, forename.surname@syke.fi, tel. +358 295 251 742.
The project has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union. The material reflects the views by the authors, and the European Commission or the CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.