WWF Baltic Sea Programme

Did you know that restoring wetlands on land can significantly benefit the Baltic Sea? 🌊 Wetlands are an essential part of the ecosystem – they help purify water and reduce nutrient runoff, reduce flood risks and provide a home for many plant and animal species. However, due to human activity, they have rapidly disappeared... On World Wetlands Day earlier this month, the Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF) held a highly successful event in Latvia aimed at engaging and educating the community. With over 160 registrations, the event featured a variety of hands-on activities that brought people together to celebrate and help protect wetlands. Activities included: 🌾 Hands-on wetland maintenance and preservation. 👣 An educational hike with nature experts. 🧺 Tasting dishes made with foraged wetland ingredients. 💧 Creative workshops to showcase how wetlands function. "[This event] was a great way to interactively convey an important message about the state of our waters, which is definitely not good at the moment... Only by working with the local community and landowners will we be able to improve the situation," explains Magda Jentgen. The event was part of the EU-funded #BaltCOP project, which aims to create positive changes in the restoration of ecosystems that will improve the overall health of the Baltic Sea. 👉 Discover more about the event and the project here: https://lnkd.in/dzBMfWvf #Wetlands #Restoration #CentralBaltic #WorldWetlandDay #BalticSea Mats Johansson Central Baltic Programme Central Baltic Programme - Latvia Central Baltic Programme Interreg Europe

Need some cuteness to brighten your day? 😍✨ New seal pups have just been born on the island of Vilsandi in Estonia. Watch them LIVE on the wildlife camera (if you're lucky you may even catch one being born!) 👀 https://lnkd.in/dvW86gUN ⚠️ NOTE: Poor ice conditions are dangerous for pups, as the animals cannot hide as well. If you are in the area, please remember not to help pups you see at the beach and try to disturb them as little as possible. #SealPups #GreySeal #LIVE #WildlifeCamera #Livestream #BalticSea Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF)

🚨 AI is now being used to recover invisible killers in our oceans, including the Baltic Sea. #GhostNets - lost or abandoned fishing gear - continue to drift silently through our seas, catching everything in their path. They are one of the biggest threats to marine animals and entire ecosystems. They suffocate fish, marine mammals and seabirds, and over time break down into microplastics that eventually reach us humans 💔 But we now have the technology to stop it: introducing #GhostNetZero. Using artificial intelligence and sonar data, WWF Germany and partners are detecting ghost nets worldwide and recovering them before they cause further damage. Via the https://ghostnetzero.ai/ website, institutions worldwide can now donate their data to the cause and help the ghost net search. Watch the video below or read the press release to learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/dkpG5fAm #Innovation #GhostGear #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Technology

Today is #WorldWhaleDay! Amongst the majestic whales across the globe, let’s not forget that we have a small whale right here… in the Baltic Sea: the Baltic harbour porpoise. But this lesser known and rarely spotted whale is at a high risk of going extinct… Bycatch in ghost nets is one of the threats. 🧠 Can innovative thinking and new technologies be a solution? “Identifying and removing ghost nets in critical breeding and calving habitats is important for the survival of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise. These efforts help reduce the risk of entanglement, allowing the porpoises to raise their young more safely. This will hopefully support the recovery of this critically endangered population.” Read the full story about what Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden and WWF Germany are doing to help protect the Baltic harbour porpoise from the dangers of ghost nets 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dWZNuHKD #BalticSea #WorldWhaleWeek #HarbourPorpoise #BalticPorpoise #Innovation #GhostNets #GhostGear

Using innovative solutions, Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden and WWF Germany are among those working to protect our sea’s only whale, the Baltic harbour porpoise 🐬 The critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise faces numerous threats, including ghost nets. These lost or abandoned fishing nets can entangle and drown porpoises, posing a severe risk to their survival. WWF is taking action by using advanced sonar technologies to locate and remove ghost nets from critical habitats. This innovative approach not only helps protect the porpoises but also preserves the health of our marine ecosystems. Discover what they are doing and how these efforts are making a difference in our latest article as part of #WorldWhaleWeek 🌍💙 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dWZNuHKD #WorldWhaleDay #GhostNets #GhostGear #BalticHarbourPorpoise #Innovation #Conservation #BalticSea

It’s #WorldWhaleWeek! Did you know we have whales right here in our Baltic Sea? 🐬 Unfortunately, this unique marine mammal is on the verge of extinction… The harbour porpoise is one of the world’s smallest whales, and it is the only whale living in the #BalticSea. Sadly, the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is critically endangered, with only a few hundred individuals left. ⚠️ Currently, the biggest threat to the harbour porpoise is bycatch, where whales get entangled in fishing nets and drown. Other threats include underwater noise pollution, environmental contaminants and lower food supply due to overfishing and climate change. But we have the knowledge to effectively protect them. It is up to decisionmakers to prevent the extinction of this genetically and biologically distinct whale. Let’s save our only whale, together. #HarbourPorpoise #BalticPorpoise #SaveTheBalticPorpoise #WorldWhaleDay Film credit: Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden

🌿🌊 Today is #WorldWetlandsDay! Healthy wetlands are a simple yet important solution for tackling eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, bending the curve on biodiversity loss and adapting to climate change. Wetlands and other freshwater ecosystems are able to buffer and prevent excess nutrients from entering the sea, reducing algal blooms and dead zones. However, over the years many wetlands have been drained. Globally, over 1/3 of wetlands have been lost in the past 50 years. Restoring wetlands is therefore essential, but the pace of restoration is not fast enough. Baltic Sea countries must speed up wetland restoration and help raise awareness of their importance. 🔁 Do your part today and help spread the message! Share this post! #BalticSea #Wetlands #Restoration #NatureRestorationLaw #30x30 Wetlands International WWF European Policy Office UN Biodiversity HELCOM - Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission EU Environment and Climate

Wetland and river restoration are essential for ensuring a healthy #BalticSea. But the pace of restoration is not fast enough. ⏳ We are running out of time. Meet #BaltCOP: our ongoing cross-border project that aims to create a ripple effect of positive change for ecosystem restoration and eutrophication reduction. By spreading knowledge of the innovative catchment officer approach, project BaltCOP is working to bridge the gap between policy and practice, speeding up restoration efforts. This EU-funded project is a collaboration between partners in Sweden, Estonia and Latvia. 🗺️ Explore our NEW project map to see what each country is doing: https://lnkd.in/d_x_9HEP #BalticRestoration #CentralBaltic #NatureRestorationLaw Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF) Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF) Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden Interreg Europe Interreg Central Baltic Programme

2024 was a year of unprecedented temperatures, and our oceans were no exception. Nearly 1/3 of the world’s oceans outside of the polar regions hit record-high temperatures. In the #BalticSea, water temperatures were: 🌡️ 1.8°C higher than they were a century ago. 🌡️ 1°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, and 0.49°C above the global average. 🌡️ at record highs for majority of the year, with May through September producing large temperature deviations 2-3°C above average. This makes the Baltic Sea one of the fastest warming seas in the world, and the increasing frequency of marine heatwaves is pushing it to its limits. We need targeted action that both addresses the root causes of warming and its effects. Rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are essential, and they must be coupled with efforts to alleviate human pressures in the Baltic Sea and to restore and protect the ecosystem. Find out more here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dD9d8j7n #ClimateAction #ActForOurPlanet #GCH2024 #ParisAgreement #SeaSurfaceTemperature #Copernicus

🌡️ 2024 is the hottest year on record. According to Copernicus ECMWF, 2024 is the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Although we have not yet exceeded the goals of the Paris Agreement, it is a stark warning that urgent action is needed. Rising global temperatures have cascading effects, including marine heatwaves that are pushing our ecosystems to the edge. 🌊 The #BalticSea is one of the fastest-warming marine ecosystems on the planet and the frequency of marine heatwaves has been increasing, affecting marine species, people, food security and economies. In the Baltic, these consequences are further influenced by the negative effects of eutrophication from nutrient runoff, overfishing and pollution. In 2025, we must accelerate the transition to renewable energy, restore and protect ecosystems and set more ambitious climate targets. The solutions are there, but effective and rapid action is needed. The clock is ticking. It’s time for change — let’s protect our Baltic Sea, the planet and its people. Find out more about the record and its implications for our sensitive sea 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dD9d8j7n #ActForOurPlanet #Breaking