Environment projects
Analysis of the status of implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan
WWF, the conservation organisation, commissioned Gaia to review the implementation status of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)which aims to radically reduce pollution to the sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021. According to Gaia's analysis, implementation of the BSAP was lagging behind the set timetable. (WWF, 2010)
The BSAP includes actions in four thematic areas: eutrophication, hazardous substances, marine conservation and biodiversity and maritime activities. Gaia's analysis focused on some thirty of the actions listed in the BSAP, scoring the status of their implementation in the HELCOM Member States. Despite the deficiencies in the information from the HELCOM Member States, the analysis provided valuable indication on the progress made in the implementation of the BSAP, and where the strengths and weak spots may lie.The analysis suggested that
- progress has been made in terms of BSAP implementation, but
- in many areas of the BSAP, implementation is
lagging behind the set timetable; and
- the currently existing monitoring system to review the progress in BSAP implementation does not easily enable stakeholders to understand whether the implementation is on time and/or making progress as agreed.
WWF published the report during the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, in May 2010.
