Näktergalen anländer till Helsingfors

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Survey of arctic bird migration and staging areas at the White Sea, in the autumns of 1999 and 2004

Finnish Environment Institute organized two ornithological expeditions to the White Sea, between 21st September and 10th October 1999, and between 21st September and 10th October 2004. The main aim of these expeditions was to map the most important staging areas for the migrating arctic birds at the White Sea. Several internationally important staging areas were found at the White Sea. Transect line counts at sea showed that the densities of birds outside these areas were smaller. During the expeditions a lot of data collected about the migration, daily rhythm, directions and routes of the migration, intensity, timing and the age and sex of the birds. Clear differences between species were noticed in the dynamics, directions of routes and intensity. Some of the species migrate on a wide front and others follow the coastal lines. The expedition was carried out by vessel. Compared to aerial surveys, which are also used for mapping of staging areas, vessel is cheaper. Vessel surveys allow more time for observing for instance birds which are sensitive or few in numbers. On the other hand a vessel is slow and shallow areas, which are important staging areas for waterfowl, are inaccessible. Aerial surveys make it possible to cover large areas and to find the most important staging areas for arctic waterfowl

Integrated governance for managing multidimensional problems : Potentials, challenges, and arrangements

The implementation challenge of ecosystem-based (fisheries) management (EB(F)M) has entailed calls for integrated governance (IG) approaches in the marine field. We arranged an expert workshop to study the preconditions and applicability of IG, and to suggest how IG could be arranged in practice. Focusing on the management of the dioxin problem shared by the herring and salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea, and using a coupled ‘insight network’- SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) methodology, we evaluated two scenarios: 1) IG of herring and salmon fisheries to benefit from collaboration between these fisheries that suffer from the same problem, and 2) IG between the fisheries sector and the food/public health sector to incorporate food safety in fisheries governance. Our results demonstrate that a variety of societal, political, institutional, operational, instrumental, and biological factors affect the applicability of IG in marine contexts, and work as preconditions for IG. While societal needs for IG were obvious in our case, as major challenges for it we identified the competing cross-sectoral objectives, path dependencies, and limitations of experts to think and work across fields. The study suggests that establishing an IG framework by adding new aspects upon the current governance structures may be easier to accept and adapt to, than creating new strategic or advisory bodies or other new capacities. Viewing IG as a framework for understanding cross-sectoral issues instead of one that requires a defined level and form of integrated assessment and management may be a way towards social learning, and thereby towards the implementation of more sophisticated, open and broad EB(F)M frameworks.Peer reviewe

Mahdollisuudet Suomelle : Kansliapäälliköiden viestit hallitusvaihdokseen

Mahdollisuudet Suomelle on ministeriöiden kansliapäälliköiden yhteinen virkamiesnäkemys avainkysymyksistä kahdelle seuraavalle hallituskaudelle. Asiakirjassa on tunnistettu keskeisiä haasteita sekä niihin liittyviä ratkaisujen suuntia. Kansliapäälliköiden näkemyksen mukaisesti tulevan kahden vaalikauden hallituksilla on edessään seuraavat viisi toisiinsa kytkeytyvää haastetta, jotka edellyttävät päätöksiä: (1) vihreässä siirtymässä on edettävä nopeasti, (2) julkista taloutta on tasapainotettava merkittävästi ja (3) molemmat näistä on tehtävä oikeudenmukaisesti ja yhdenvertaisuutta edistäen, (4) talouskasvun edellytyksiä on vahvistettava ja (5) Suomen turvallisuus ja kriisinkestävyys vaativat lisätoimia. Asiakirjan keskeisin talouspoliittinen sanoma on se, että talouskasvun edellytyksiä parantavat uudistukset käynnistetään nopeasti, sillä vaikutukset ovat viiveisiä. Samalla aloitetaan julkisen talouden tasapainottaminen. Julkisen talouden tasapainoa tulee tavoitella kahden vaalikauden aikana. Talouskasvua ei tavoitella hinnalla millä hyvänsä, vaan sen sijaan panostetaan vihreään siirtymään. Asiakirjassa esitetään 15 pääviestiä ja niihin liittyviä ratkaisujen suuntia, jotka tarjoavat eväitä vaalikeskusteluihin ja hallitusneuvottelujen pohjaksi. Viestien aihealueet ovat vahvasti keskinäisriippuvaisia ja näin vaativat samanaikaista panostusta tulevilla kahdella vaalikaudella

Essential coastal habitats for fish in the Baltic Sea

Many coastal and offshore fish species are highly dependent on specific habitat types for population maintenance. In the Baltic Sea, shallow productive habitats in the coastal zone such as wetlands, vegetated flads/lagoons and sheltered bays as well as more exposed rocky and sandy areas are utilized by fish across many life history stages including spawning, juvenile development, feeding and migration. Although there is general consensus about the critical importance of these essential fish habitats (EFH) for fish production along the coast, direct quantitative evidence for their specific roles in population growth and maintenance is still scarce. Nevertheless, for some coastal species, indirect evidence exists, and in many cases, sufficient data are also available to carry out further quantitative analyses. As coastal EFH in the Baltic Sea are often found in areas that are highly utilized and valued by humans, they are subjected to many different pressures. While cumulative pressures, such as eutrophication, coastal construction and development, climate change, invasive species and fisheries, impact fish in coastal areas, the conservation coverage for EFH in these areas remains poor. This is mainly due to the fact that historically, fisheries management and nature conservation are not integrated neither in research nor in management in Baltic Sea countries. Setting joint objectives for fisheries management and nature conservation would hence be pivotal for improved protection of EFH in the Baltic Sea. To properly inform management, improvements in the development of monitoring strategies and mapping methodology for EFH are also needed. Stronger international cooperation between Baltic Sea states will facilitate improved management outcomes across ecologically arbitrary boundaries. This is especially important for successful implementation of international agreements and legislative directives such as the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, but also for improving the communication of information related to coastal EFH among researchers, stakeholders, managers and decision makers. In this paper, efforts are made to characterize coastal EFH in the Baltic Sea, their importance and the threats/pressures they face, as well as their current conservation status, while highlighting knowledge gaps and outlining perspectives for future work in an ecosystem-based management framework. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe