Constantine Alexander's blog

STAGES Project to Host its First MSFD Workshop

The STAGES (Science and Technology Advancing Governance on Good Environmental Status) project will host a Workshop on Needs for Further Research to Support Improved and More Efficient Monitoring Programmes Under the MSFD, from 13-15 May 2013 in Brussels, Belgium.

STAGES is an EC FP7-funded project that is directly responding to a request from DG Environment to put a support action in place to facilitate the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Under the MSFD, EU Member States are expected to assess the overall status of their respective marine environments and to put in place the necessary measures to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020.

The workshop is organised by the STAGES partner the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in close collaboration with the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES ); l’Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (IFREMER); the European Marine Board; the Joint Research Centre (JRC); and the Centro Tecnológico del Mar (CETMAR).

The workshop report will form the basis of the STAGES science-policy reports on needs for further research for the implementation of the MSFD. Participants have been invited from a wide range of interested parties: Regional Seas Commissions (OSPAR, HELCOM and BALTIC); DG RTD; DG Environment; related MSFD projects and initiatives; ICES; JRC-ICES task groups; and relevant Member State competent authorities.

A consultation process is underway prior to the workshop that will help to identify research needs regarding monitoring programmes for the 11 Good Environmental Status (GES) descriptors. This consultation will inform the workshop focus of the five Thematic Group discussions: the Biodiversity Group; the Contaminants & Nutrients Group; the Disturbances Group; the Commercially Exploited Fish Group; and the Hydrographical Conditions Group. 

"This is the first in a series of three STAGES workshops that will investigate the needs for further research to support the implementation of the MSFD. We expect that it will lead to greater understanding of current knowledge gaps and associated uncertainties in relation to monitoring programmes. The outputs from the workshop will help us to assess what is required to adapt and upgrade monitoring programmes, and to produce a list of needs for further research and methodological development to inform future research programmes, as well as managers and decision makers," explained Marisa Fernández of CETMAR, the STAGES coordinating partner.

Two more STAGES workshops, The Identification of Research Needs with Regard to the Pressures and their Impacts on Marine Ecosystems and The Identification of Research Needs with Regard to Socio-Economic Analysis will be held later this year (provisionally scheduled for September and October).

In other STAGES-related news, a Steering Committee meeting was held on 13 March at CETMAR's headquarters in Vigo, Spain. The committee reviewed the project's first period of activity and planned for the next phase. Several significant milestones have already been achieved across the project's work packages, including:

• The development of a MFSD-related stakeholder database containing more than 400 organisations and 550 contact persons across Europe.
• Identification (through a desktop study) of more than 1,500 European-funded projects and 2,000 Member State projects  that might have a potential relevance to the MSFD which are currently being asked to complete a survey to elaborate on their objectives and expected results.
• Engagement with more than 100 institutions across Member States to request assistance in identifying nationally-funded projects with a relevance to the MSFD.
• The launch of a project website, brochure and factsheet to introduce the project to marine stakeholders and wider society.
• The preparation for an expert workshop on research gaps related to the MSFD monitoring programmes.

The STAGES project is being carried out by a consortium of eight partners in seven countries and is being coordinated by the Centro Tecnológico del Mar (CETMAR) in Spain. STAGES has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.

Contact: Marisa Fernández Cañamero, STAGES Coordinator.

Toxic waste sites cause healthy years of life lost

Mount Sinai researcher presents novel findings in environmental health at the Pediatric Academic Societies

Toxic waste sites with elevated levels of lead and chromium cause a high number of "healthy years of life lost" in individuals living near 373 sites located in India, Philippines and Indonesia, according to a study by a Mount Sinai researcher published online today in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The study leader, Kevin Chatham-Stephens, MD, Pediatric Environmental Health Fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presented the findings today at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. "Lead and hexavalent chromium proved to be the most toxic chemicals and caused the majority of disease, disability and mortality among the individuals living near the sites," said Dr. Chatham-Stephens, first author.

The study titled, "The Burden of Disease from Toxic Waste Sites in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines in 2010," was a joint research partnership between Mount Sinai and the Blacksmith Institute. Eight chemicals were sampled and collected at the toxic waste sites in 2010. The samples were then measured for pollutant levels in the soil and water and then compared with the 8,629,750 individuals who were at risk of exposure around these sites in order to calculate the loss of years of equivalent full health.

Researchers calculated healthy years of life lost due to ill-health, disability or early death, in disability-adjusted life years (DALY), a measure of overall disease burden used by the World Health Organization. One DALY represents the loss of one year of equivalent full health. In this study, the total number of lost years of full health or DALYs was 828,722. In comparison, malaria in the same countries caused 725,000 lost years of full health, and outdoor air pollution caused 1.4 million lost years of full health in 2008, according to Dr. Chatham-Stephens.

"The number of DALYs estimated in our study potentially places toxic waste sites on par with other major public health issues such as malaria and outdoor air pollution which are also causing a high number of healthy years of life lost," said Dr. Chatham-Stephens.

"This study highlights a major and previously under-recognized global health problem in lower and middle income countries," said Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc, Dean for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and one of the authors of the study. "The next step is targeting interventions such as cleaning up the sites and minimizing the exposure of humans in each of these countries where toxic chemicals are greatly present."

Additionally, children and women of child-bearing age made up two-thirds of the population in the study. "If a woman is pregnant, the fetus may be exposed to these toxic chemicals," said Dr. Chatham-Stephens. "This data is relevant because the prenatal to early childhood period is the time when individuals are very vulnerable to some toxic exposures, such as lead's impact on the developing nervous system."

Previous studies have shown that lead can cause neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular damage, while those also exposed to high levels of chromium have a greater chance of developing lung cancer. "Our research shows that chemical pollutants from toxic waste sites are insufficiently studied in lower and middle income countries and that disease and death caused by these chemicals can contribute to loss of life," said Dr. Chatham-Stephens.

Mount Sinai's Department of Preventive Medicine is internationally renowned for excellence in preventive medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, community health, and environmental pediatrics. The department is among the largest medical school departments of preventive medicine in the United States. Its mission is to prevent disease, protect the environment, and promote health in all the communities Mount Sinai serves. It consists of 57 full-time faculty, 137 adjunct and voluntary faculty, and 265 staff. The department's academic programs train medical students for residency programs in general preventive medicine and in occupational and environmental medicine. It also offer's a fellowship program in environmental pediatrics and the medical school's master's in public health (MPH) program.

Contact: Renatt Brodsky
Renatt.Brodsky@mountsinai.org
212-241-9200
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Toxic Waste Sites could also be present in the EU

IUCN says EU countries must do more to protect biodiversity

European Union countries should step up their conservation efforts and fully implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 to prevent species from going extinct, according to a recent analysis of the European Red List coordinated by IUCN.  

European Mink (Mustela lutreola). Critically Endangered. Photo by: Nicolai Meyer (CC)

The analysis presents a detailed overview of species threatened at the European level in all 27 EU Member States. It shows that the highest share of species threatened in the European Union can be found in the Mediterranean region which hosts most of Europe’s biodiversity.

“Thanks to its bioclimatic conditions, the Mediterranean region is a recognized global hotspot for biodiversity, hosting a large number and extraordinary variety of species,” says Antonio Troya, Director of IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. “The survival of many of these species is at risk as their habitats are being negatively impacted by human activities. This is a major challenge that European policy-makers shall address. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ can be an important tool to analyse species population trends to guide effective policy and action at different levels”.

Spain, Portugal and Greece host the highest proportion of species threatened with extinction at the European level and should act with the greatest urgency. Of the 2,032 species assessed which occur in Spain, 21% are considered threatened at the European level. Fifteen percent of the 1,215 European species occurring in Portugal are threatened, and the same is true for 14% of the 1,684 European species found in Greece.

Of the species assessed so far, freshwater species – including fishes, molluscs and amphibians – are at the highest risk, with species such as the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) and the Freshwater Pearl Mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) being particularly threatened. The status of terrestrial molluscs, dragonflies and mammals, such as the European Mink (Mustela lutreola) also raises significant concern. Species are mainly threatened by the loss, fragmentation and degradation of their habitat, due in large part to agricultural and urban expansion, construction of dams and water pollution.

While effective conservation action in the Mediterranean is needed urgently, the study calls on all EU Member States to take adequate measures to reverse the current population declines, in order to avoid species going extinct.

“Species can be saved from extinction, but this requires a combination of sound research and greater coordinated efforts,” says Ana Nieto, Regional Biodiversity Conservation Officer at IUCN. “All EU Heads of State and Government have committed to halting biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services by 2020. Considerable conservation investment is needed from these countries and the EU to achieve this target and assure a long-term improvement in the status of European species.”

EU nature conservation policies are among the most advanced globally. The Birds and Habitats Directives have led to successful recovery of many species.

“Conservation works,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of IUCN Species Survival Commission. “The increase in the population of the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Southern Spain from 94 individuals in 2002 to 312 in 2011 is a case in point. The EU and Member States need to continue to act to protect Europe’s invaluable natural heritage. IUCN stands ready to provide the science and support needed to scale up these efforts.”

About the analysis:

The study is based on the data from the European Red List supported by the European Commission. It presents the proportion of species which are threatened at the European level for each EU Member State. The present analysis does not provide information on the status of the species at the national level (i.e. in each individual country), but rather on the level of threat for species groups at the European level (i.e. across the whole European continent, but excluding the EU overseas entities). National and sub-national Red Lists can be cross-checked to identify the status of species at the national level. More detailed information and all 27 country fact sheets can be found here.

Which EU Member State hosts the highest proportion of species threatened at the European level?

The above graph shows the proportion of species threatened at the European level for each EU Member State, based upon the ten European Red Lists produced so far. See here the results of the assessments conducted until 2011. Overall, the most threatened species groups assessed so far in Europe are freshwater fishes, freshwater molluscs and amphibians.

Related Links:

• All 27 Fact Sheets per EU Member State
• European Red List
• IUCN's work on species
• IUCN's work in Europe
• IUCN's work in the Mediterranean
• IUCN Species Survival Commission
• A new view of The IUCN Red List

Contact: Liza Drius, Communications Officer, IUCN European Union Representative Office, Tel: +32 2 739 0318.

Environmental labels may discourage conservatives from buying energy-efficient products

When it comes to deciding which light bulb to buy, a label touting the product's environmental benefit may actually discourage politically conservative shoppers.

Dena Gromet and Howard Kunreuther at The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Rick Larrick at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business conducted two studies to determine how political ideology affected a person's choice to buy energy-efficient products in the United States.

The authors suggest that financial incentives or emphasizing energy independence may be better ways to get people to buy energy-efficient products than appealing to environmental concerns because these represent unifying concerns that cross political boundaries. Their paper, "Political Ideology Affects Energy-Efficient Attitudes and Choices," is published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1218453110)

"A popular strategy for marketing energy efficiency is to focus on its environmental benefits," said Gromet, the lead author on the studies. "But not everyone values protecting the environment. We were interested in whether promoting the environment could in fact deter some individuals from purchasing energy efficient options that they would have otherwise selected."

The first study surveyed 657 U.S. adults, 49 percent men, ranging in age from 19-81. Participants were given a short description of energy efficiency and answered questions about the psychological value they placed on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to protect the environment, reducing dependence on foreign oil and reducing the financial cost of energy use. They also indicated how much they favored investing in energy-efficient technology. Participants were asked about their political ideology, and how much they identified with different political parties.

The more conservative the participant, the less likely that person was to support investing in energy-efficient technology. The study found that this divide was primarily driven by the lower value that conservatives placed on reducing carbon emissions. The values of energy independence and reducing energy costs had more universal appeal.

The second study involved 210 participants, 61 percent female, who ranged in age from 18 to 66. Again, all participants gave information about their political ideologies. Participants were given $2 to spend on a light bulb and could keep whatever they did not spend. They were then educated about the benefits of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs over incandescent bulbs. (CFL bulbs last 9,000 more hours and reduce energy costs by 75 percent). Some of the CFL bulbs came with a sticker that said "Protect The Environment" while the others had a blank sticker.

In some cases, the CFL bulb was priced at $1.50, while the incandescent bulb was 50 cents. When the more expensive CFL came with no environmental label, liberals and conservatives selected it at roughly the same high frequency. However, when the more expensive CFL bulb also was accompanied by a "protect the environment" sticker, participants who identified as more politically moderate or conservative were less likely to buy it.

For other participants, both incandescent and CFL bulbs were priced at 50 cents. All but one of these participants bought the CFL bulb regardless of the sticker, indicating that everyone was attracted to a good economic deal regardless of their political leanings.

"The environmental aspect of energy efficiency has an ideologically polarizing impact that can undermine demand for energy-efficient technology, specifically among more politically conservative individuals," Kunreuther said. "On a more positive note, the results of the second study indicate that focusing on the nature of the message coupled with economic incentives should promote investment in energy-efficient products."

"These findings demonstrate that a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful for making energy-efficient products appealing to consumers," Larrick said. "People have different energy-related values which can influence their choices, including leading them to reject options that they recognize as having long-term economic benefits. In many cases, a tailored message may be needed to reach different market segments."

CITATION: "Political Ideology Affects Energy-Efficiency Attitudes And Choices," Dena M. Grometa, Howard Kunreuther, and Richard P. Larrick. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS 2013 ; published on April 29, 2013, doi:10.1073/pnas.1218453110

Contact: Erin Medlyn
erin.medlyn@duke.edu
919-660-8090
Duke University

Scale of raptor deaths in Hungary shows need for LIFE 'HELICON' project

MME Birdlife Hungary, the beneficiary of the ongoing LIFE Nature ‘HELICON’ project, took part in an event in Hungary in February that revealed the scale of the problem of illegal raptor deaths in the country.

More than 100 professionals from Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the UK attended the annual meeting of the Raptor Committee of Birdlife Hungary, which followed the 8th Hungarian Conservation-Biology Meeting (co-organised by MME with the Hungarian Biological Society, Bükk National Park Directorate and the European section of the Society for Conservation Biology).

The aims of the conference were to improve the effectiveness of actions against persecution incidents affecting birds and facilitate exchange of ideas between professionals from various countries. The participants discussed Birdlife’s Anti-poisoning Action Plan which is expected to provide a more efficient way in fighting crime against birds. 

One of the most startling things to emerge from the event was the extent of the problem of persecution of raptors in Hungary. It was announced that, since 2000, a total of 176 eagles have died in the country from poisoning, shooting or intentional damaging of nests (compared to 40 eagle deaths in Austria, 24 in the Czech Republic, 22 in Slovakia, 18 in Serbia and two in Romania).

Indeed, a further three incidents involving birds of prey were reported in the three days following the conference; just some of 21 incidents involving more than 50 protected raptors recorded for the first three months of 2013 in Hungary.

The goal of the LIFE ‘HELICON’ project, which runs until the end of 2016, is to significantly reduce the rate of non-natural mortality amongst Hungary’s imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) population.

The politics of climate change

U.S. residents who believe in the scientific consensus on global warming are more likely to support government action to curb emissions, regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat, according to a study led by a Michigan State University sociologist.

However, a political divide remains on the existence of climate change despite the fact that the vast majority of scientists believe it is real, said Aaron M. McCright, associate professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Sociology.

The study, in the journal Climatic Change, is one of the first to examine the influence of political orientation on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action to reduce emissions.

"The more people believe scientists agree about climate change, the more willing they are to support government action, even when their party affiliation is taken into account," McCright said. "But there is still a political split on levels of perceived scientific agreement, in that fewer Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and liberals believe there is a scientific consensus."

McCright and colleagues analyzed a Gallup survey of 1,024 adults who were asked about their views on climate change.

The results reaffirm the success of what McCright calls the "denial machine" – an organized movement to undercut the scientific reality of climate change during the past two decades.

McCright said the first step in dealing with climate change is getting both sides of the political spectrum to accept the scientific consensus. At that point, he said, policymakers can go about the task of coming up with an approach to combat it.

He said both the government and industry should be involved in that effort.

"Certainly we can't solve all our problems with global warming through government regulations – in fact, for some problems, government regulations might make it worse," McCright said. "And so we need a combination of market-based solutions and government regulations."

McCright's co-authors are Riley Dunlap of Oklahoma State University and Chenyang Xiao of American University.

Citation:Perceived scientific agreement and support for government action on climate change in the USA. Springer Netherlands. 8 2013-02-01. A McCright, AaronM., A Dunlap, RileyE., A Xiao, Chenyang. DOI: 10.1007/s10584-013-0704-9

Contact: Andy Henion
henion@msu.edu
517-355-3294
Michigan State University

Genetically Engineered Trees - The Increasing Threat (Documentary Video)

Dr. David Suzuki has made it his life’s work to help humanity understand, appreciate, respect and protect nature. A gifted interpreter of science and nature, Dr. Suzuki provides audiences with a compelling look at the state of our environment, underscoring both the successes we have achieved in the battle for environmental sustainability, and the strides we still have to make if Earth will remain a welcoming home for all nature’s creatures. Both inspiring and realistic, he offers leading-edge insights into sustainable development and model for a world in which humanity can live well and still protect our environment.

An award-winning geneticist and broadcaster, Dr. Suzuki is the co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation with Tara Cullis. He is familiar to audiences around the world as host of CBC TV’s long-running series, The Nature of Things. From 1969 to 2001 he was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, and is currently professor emeritus.

Dr. Suzuki has authored over 50 books, and is widely recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He has received numerous awards for his work, including a UNESCO prize for science, a United Nations Environment Program medal, and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. He has 22 honorary doctorates from universities in the US, Canada, and Australia. For his support of Canada’s First Nations people, Dr. Suzuki has been honored with six names and formal adoption by two tribes.

The Growing Threat Genetically Engineered Trees is an Award winning documentary film which explores the growing global threat of genetically engineered trees to our environment and to human health. The film features Dr. David Suzuki, who explores the unknown and possibly disastrous consequences of improperly tested GE methods.

 

The Future of Arctic Research: A Long-Term Framework for International Cooperation and Coordination

Live webchat URL: https://conx.adobeconnect.com/canada Discuss global cooperation on the impact of climate change on our oceans.  Ask Commander Blake McBride, Associate Director of Meteorology/Oceanography and Arctic Technologies at the U.S. Navy, about research and simulation exercises the U.S. Navy has been conducting on climate change, the disappearance of sea ice, and the implications for marine safety and security.  The webchat will be moderated by Michelle Cook, U.S. Consulate General Calgary, and Magdalena Muir from the University of Calgary’s Arctic Institute of North America. Format: This program will be a video webchat in English.  Please click on the URL above to participate.
Speaker
Commander Blake McBride, Associate Director of Meteorology/Oceanography and Arctic Technologies, U.S. Navy
Moderators
Michelle Cook, U.S. Consulate General Calgary
Magdalena Muir, University of Calgary’s Arctic Institute of North America

Date	Monday, April 29, 2013
Time	12:00 (EDT) | 16:00 (UTC)
	Time Zone Converter
Duration	1h 0m
Language	English
Regions	Global, Western Hemisphere, WHA
Themes	Climate Change, Energy ,Environment, Science and Technology, Peace & Security

 

A billion-dollar business puts species and people at risk

Nassau Grouper at The Pinnacle, Saba, Netherlands Antilles. Image taken by Clark Anderson/Aquaimages.

At least 12% of groupers – globally-important food fish species that live on coral and rocky reefs – face extinction, putting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people around the world at risk, finds a report published today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s (IUCN SSC) Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group.

The overall percentage of threatened groupers could be much higher as there is insufficient data for about 30% of the species, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

The study points to overfishing and the booming international luxury seafood trade as major threats to the survival of some grouper species, and to the livelihoods of those who depend on them for food and income. Its authors call for urgent conservation and management efforts to prevent further declines of these species.

“The declines in some grouper fisheries are alarming,” says Yvonne Sadovy, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group and lead author of the study. “Most of them are not managed at all and their natural ability to reproduce can’t keep up with increasing demand. The rapidly growing international trade in groupers further reduces their populations.”

More than 300,000 tons of groupers – or 90 million individuals – were caught globally in 2009, mostly in Asia, where they are particularly sought-after for the luxury restaurant trade. Groupers are the foundation of the US$ 750 million international live reef fish market centered in Hong Kong and growing in mainland China, where consumers are ready to pay over US$ 200 per kilogram of the species. They are also important food fish in developing countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where pressure to export reef fish is growing, according to the study.

Groupers are among those species that are most vulnerable to fishing because of their longevity, late sexual maturation and the fact that many form large mating groups known as ‘spawning aggregations’. Despite their economic importance, few grouper fisheries are regularly monitored or managed, and many are in decline.

In the US Caribbean, the Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), which is commonly fished during its brief aggregation periods, has been essentially wiped out. Of the several dozen well-documented breeding grounds, only two continue to support large numbers of the species, and these have also been considerably reduced. In Southeast Asia and the Pacific, several species are considered to be threatened by the international trade, including the Square-tailed Coral Grouper (Plectropomus areolatus), also often taken from its spawning aggregations.

“Overfishing is like mismanaging a bank account,” says Matthew Craig, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group and one of the authors of the report. “The current fish population is our principle balance, hopefully earning interest in the form of new fish born. If those initial assets are continually withdrawn faster than the interest accumulates, the principle, that is the fish out there now, will be quickly depleted. It’s easy to see how rapidly we could lose all the money, or in this case, all of the fish.”

Improved management by source countries with priority given to local food security considerations, as well as better monitoring and control of international trade are urgently needed to reduce threats to these species, according to the authors.

The study, Fishing groupers towards extinction: a global assessment of threats and extinction risks in a billion dollar fishery, was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data accumulated by experts over a period of 20 years.

Citation: Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y., Craig, M. T., Bertoncini, A. A., Carpenter, K. E., Cheung, W. W. L., Choat, J. H., Cornish, A. S., Fennessy, S. T., Ferreira, B. P., Heemstra, P. C., Liu, M., Myers, R. F., Pollard, D. A., Rhodes, K. L., Rocha, L. A., Russell, B. C., Samoilys, M. A. and Sanciangco, J. (2013), Fishing groupers towards extinction: a global assessment of threats and extinction risks in a billion dollar fishery. Fish and Fisheries, 14: 119–136. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00455.x

SAMBAH LIFE project reveals extent of Baltic harbour porpoise population

'SAMBAH' (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise is a five-year LIFE Nature project that targets the conservation of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) within the Baltic Sea region.

Led by Kolmardens Djurpark (Kolmarden Wildlife Park) in Sweden, this international project has revealed initial results from two years of monitoring using 300 passive acoustic porpoise click loggers (CPODs) at a meeting with marine stakeholders and sea-management authorities from the countries around the Baltic that was held in Gothenburg on 15 April.

The purpose of the monitoring, which concludes next month, and which covers an area from the Darss and Limhamn ridges in the south-west to the northern border of the Åland archipelago in the north, is to estimate the densities and total abundance of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise population. Analysis of the data generated during the study period will be used to produce distribution maps of harbour porpoises and identify possible hotspots, habitat preferences and areas of higher risk of conflict with anthropogenic activities. These results will be disseminated amongst policy-makers, marine area managers, stakeholders and the public, to enable more effective management of the species based on sound knowledge about its size and distribution.

The meeting in Gothenberg earlier this month aimed to initiate a dialogue with these groups and bodies, with the ultimate goal of finding good ways for porpoises to co-exist with fishing, shipping, leisure boats, oil and gas exploration, wind farm developments and other human marine activities.

Initial results from the click monitoring indicate that there are harbour porpoises in most areas of the Baltic, with individuals detected most frequently in its southern waters and the shallow banks south of Gotland, but also as far north as Finnish waters.

The data also show a clear seasonal variation in porpoise presence in the waters around Kriegers Flak, where large wind farms are currently being planned. This knowledge could be used to ensure construction work is scheduled at times when few porpoises are in the area.