During the 14th Meeting of the Nature Protection and Biodiversity Group (HELCOM HABITAT 14/2012), new recommendations to further implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSPA) were discussed between the biodiversity expert group of Member States of the Baltic Sea Region and the HELCOM Secretariat. One important discussion topic was the linkage between the BSPA and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Susanne Altvater from Ecologic Institute was invited to outline possible synergies between HELCOM’s Action Plan and climate adaptation issues. Inter alia she presented the BALTADAPT project and some findings of its working groups. The presentation is available for download.

HELCOM HABITAT works to ensure that suitable information on habitats, species and the conservation of biodiversity is available for all of HELCOM’s main groups, to help them implement the ecosystem-based management approach and extend the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to cover the whole Baltic Sea.

Of interest for the group was how climate change adaptation issues could be included in their recommendations. Of special interest was how species and ecosystems that shift due to climate change can be permanently protected, as protected areas cannot be flexibly moved.

The BALTADAPT project provides some initial ideas on these issues. Covering the priority area 5 "adaptation of climate change" of the associated Action Plan to the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the project comes up with sustainable solutions for climate change adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region. The expected results of BALTADAPT are

• The collection of existing knowledge on climate change adaptation, and the identification of gaps, and
• The development of a climate change Adaptation Strategy and an Action Plan for the Baltic Sea Region.

The audience was highly interested in the recent results of the BALTADAPT working groups on "Biodiversity and habitats in future Baltic climate scenarios" and "Baltic fish stock developments". Strong cooperation and exchange of knowledge and data between this EU INTERREG lighthouse project and HELCOM HABITAT was one result of the meeting.

The presentation [pdf, 1.1 MB, English] is available for download.