WWF Baltic Sea Programme

Need to start off the new year with some happy news? Check out some of our Baltic Sea conservation wins from 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/dJYKqnKr Read about: 🇸🇪 The completion of one of Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden's largest coastal restoration projects. 🇱🇻 Latvia's first ever dam removal, conducted by Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF). 🇩🇪 WWF Germany's significant victory for marine conservation. ... and more! #conservation #BalticSea #wins WWF Poland WWF Verdensnaturfonden / WWF Denmark

🏆 This year, our #BalticSea offices accomplished some amazing things. From finishing multi-year conservation projects to achieving increased protection in marine protected areas, read about the WWF wins for 2024! 👇 https://lnkd.in/dJYKqnKr WWF Verdensnaturfonden / WWF Denmark Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden WWF Germany WWF Poland Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF) #ConservationWins

Our latest newsletter just went out to subscribers. Now, you can also read and subscribe to WWF Baltic News here on LinkedIn! ✉ In this edition we say a goodbye to 2024. Find content on: ✍️ A review of the year and message from Director Johanna Källén Fox 🏆 Baltic Sea national wins from 2024 🇪🇺 Exciting updates from our EU-funded project, BaltCOP ❄️ and more Baltic Sea news from the last few months of the year! The newsletter covers WWF Baltic Sea news from the Baltic Sea Programme and several WWF national offices. We publish approximately 4 times per year (quarterly), with occassional additional editions. Subscribe here on LinkedIn or on our website to get WWF Baltic News straight to your inbox 📩 https://lnkd.in/dbPta3m7 Read (and subscribe) here! ⬇️ #Newsletter #BalticSea

On this World Soil Day 🌱 we wish to send a huge congratulations to Patryk Kokocinski, a 2021 Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year who just won Climate Person of the Year in Poland! 🏆🇵🇱 This award, established by the Polish Minister of Climate and Environment, was provided to Patryk for his social activism. His work and commitment sets a great example for the important role of agriculture in facing climate changing and bending the curve on biodiversity loss. "It is high time to demand agriculture's rightful place in the front line of combating climate change". Soils host 25% of the world’s biodiversity. They also store around 2️⃣ times the carbon found in the atmosphere and 3️⃣ times the amount found in vegetation. Soil also directly or indirectly produces about 95% of our food 🌾 Soil health is therefore vital for ecosystem health, resilience against climate change and food security. Healthy, well-functioning soils reduce the risk of nutrient runoff to nearby water bodies, thereby increasing water quality and ultimately helping decrease eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. They also lead to higher crop yields, and they ensure better resilience in times of drought or excess rainfall. Patryk manages an 88 ha farm in Poland and in 2021 won the national WWF Baltic Sea Farmer Award for his Baltic Sea-friendly practices and sustainable management of water 💧, nutrients 🐄 and, of course, soil 🌱. This includes the implementation of practices such as maintaining year-round plant cover, using crop rotation and fertilizing based on soil analysis. “Contrary to popular belief, sustainable agriculture does not need to generate additional costs and, in the long run, it is even an investment that provides added value—both for the farmer’s pocket and for the environment”. Congratulations once again! 🎉 You can read more about the farm and the work being done on it here: https://lnkd.in/dkcaNFZx #WorldSoilDay #Eutrophication #BalticSea #Soil #ClimatePersonOfTheYear WWF Poland

📰 Exciting progress in Baltic restoration! The cross-border project #BaltCOP is already seeing early successes, with the first 6 months of the 3-year project coming to a close. The EU-funded project is a collaboration between partners in Sweden 🇸🇪, Estonia 🇪🇪 and Latvia 🇱🇻 to reduce nutrient runoff through ecosystem restoration. By spreading word of the innovative catchment officer approach, the project aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice, speeding up restoration efforts. So what exactly have we achieved so far? 🏆 Read about: 👉 Sweden's wetland success 👉 Latvia's innovative research 👉 Estonia's engagement with stakeholders ...and more! Learn more about the impactful work and the positive changes already underway here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dCc4eVtB #CentralBaltic #Interreg #Wetlands #CatchmentOfficer #NatureRestoration Central Baltic Programme Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF) Världsnaturfonden WWF / WWF Sweden Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF)

🚨 New research shows that if efforts to reduce nutrient inputs to the #BalticSea had not been implemented, the completely oxygen-free areas (black on the map) would be >80% larger than it is today! Oxygen-free areas, also called anoxic areas or dead zones ☠️, are areas where most marine life cannot survive due of the lack of oxygen 😢 ➡️ The reductions in nutrients to the sea have been instrumental in avoiding the worst, emphasizing the importance of ongoing and past work to reduce nutrient runoff. While a disaster has been avoided, we are not yet in the clear. The Baltic Sea environment still remains unchanged, showing no signs of improvement. Efforts to reduce nutrient runoff remain too limited. If we want a healthy Baltic Sea and to bend the curve on biodiversity loss, countries around the Baltic must do more! So how can we reduce eutrophication? Some examples include: 🔨 Restoring wetlands and other ecosystems to capture and retain nutrients from land. 🚜 Using fertilizers more efficiently within agriculture. 🔴 Addressing point sources, such as wastewater treatment facilities and industry runoff. Read more about the study here: https://lnkd.in/ddQiKPZR Read the full scientific article here: https://lnkd.in/djTwd5xj #NutrientRunoff #Eutrophication #TippingPoints Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

On this #WorldFisheriesDay 🐟, learn more about why sustainable fisheries is needed and what we are doing to achieve it in the Baltic Sea 👇🏼 📉 Many Baltic fish species are on a downward spiral, with several stocks near collapse. 📃 Quotas set for commercial fish species have historically not been conservative or science-based enough, leading to overfishing. 🌀 Drastic changes in fish stocks cause ripple effects, affecting all levels of the food chain. But what exactly makes a fishery sustainable? Sustainable fisheries take only what is needed, leaving enough fish for the future and ensuring stocks can replenish. This helps strengthen community and societal resilience and ensures future generations are not disadvantaged. Additionally, damaging fishing practices and gear - such as bottom trawling - should be avoided, and bycatch of marine mammals and birds should be minimised. Critically, these fisheries must take place legally, respecting both fishery and environmental laws ⚖️ What are we doing? 📈 Advocating for sustainable fisheries, including setting appropriate catch limits that contribute to recovery of key populations. 📍 Pushing to establish spatial and temporal protections for fish spawning or feeding. 🪝 Advocating to secure a reduction in use of destructive gears, including banning destructive, mobile bottom fishing gear in specific MPAs and other sensitive areas to support ecosystem recovery. 📘 Promoting sustainable fish guides to educate consumers about the seafood they eat and encourage responsible choices. Share this post to help spread the word about why sustainable fisheries are vital for you, us and our precious Baltic Sea! #Fisheries #BalticSea #SaveOurOceans #ActForOurPlanet

Did you know the EU is losing farms at an alarming rate?! Every day, we lose 800 farms and the jobs associated with them 😱💔 During Tuesday's panel event on #SustainableFarming, Airi Külvet from Puutsa farm in Estonia , Gijs Schilthuis from DG AGRI European Commission, Doris Letina, an apple farmer from Slovenia, and Celia Nyssens-James from European Environmental Bureau debated the challenges faced by farmers and the opportunities ahead 💡 Policy change is needed if we are to achieve a wider adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Sustainable farming is vital for reducing nutrient runoff to our #BalticSea, increasing soil health and biodiversity, and for ensuring farmers are resilient against climate change, which ultimately ensures our food security. Hear some of what else our panelists had to say below 👇 #SustainableAgriculture #CommonAgriculturalPolicy WWF European Policy Office European Parliament

Today some of our previous winners of our Baltic Sea Farmer Award (BSFA) joined us in the European Parliament for a successful event on #SustainableFarming. These fantastic people received a huge round of applause 👏 by the audience for their commitment to going above and beyond every day to sustainably manage water, soil, nutrients and biodiversity on their farms 🌱💧 But why do they farm sustainably? As a previous winner put it: “These lands of ours depend 100% on the natural environment. These worlds cannot be separated from each other and they absolutely cannot be opposed”. WWF Baltic’s Director, Johanna Källén Fox, highlighted during the event how food and farming is crucial to all of us. Specifically, we must change the policy landscape and the food system so sustainable farming practices can support and encourage more farmers to go down this route. #Agriculture #BalticSea

Today we are at the EU Parliament for our co-hosted event with European Environmental Bureau and WWF European Policy Office to discuss sustainable farming for a competitive future. But what is sustainable farming and why do we need it? Find out below 👇 #SustainableFarming #SustainableAgriculture