GES-REG
Good environmental status through regional coordination and capacity building
- Thematic cluster:
- Vigorous sea
- Programme:
- Central Baltic Programme
- Priority:
- 1. Safe and healthy environment
- Direction of support:
- Supporting sustainable spatial planning and environmental management
- Duration:
- Jun 2011 - Dec 2013 (2 years, 7 months)
- Total funding:
- 1 465 610 €
- ERDF funding:
- 1 132 010 €
- Website:
- http://gesreg.msi.ttu.ee/en/
Development idea
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) sets a target for achieving favourable environmental status (GES) in the marine environment for 2020. It also suggests Member State cooperation to ensure the coordinated development of marine strategies in the marine region.
Aim of the project
The main aim of the project was to support coherent and coordinated implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the central and north-eastern sub-regions of the Baltic Sea.
Main project activities
The GES-REG project has improved marine environmental management in the region via dissemination efforts towards the the environmental authorities, institutions responsible for marine monitoring and assessment, HELCOM and the wider public. The project produced publications and organized seminars and meetings for the environmental officials.
Partners
Tallinn University of Technology, Marine Systems Institute
- Country:
- Estonia
- Region:
- Põhja-Eesti
- ERDF funding:
- 191 968 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 57 342 €
University of Tartu
- Country:
- Estonia
- Region:
- Lõuna – Eesti
- ERDF funding:
- 107 030 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 31 970 €
Ministry of the Environment of Estonia (MoE-Est)
- Country:
- Estonia
- Region:
- Põhja-Eesti
- ERDF funding:
- 48 987 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 14 632 €
Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology (LHEI)
- Country:
- Latvia
- Region:
- Riga
- ERDF funding:
- 217 238 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 54 071 €
Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL)
- Country:
- Finland
- Region:
- Uusimaa
- ERDF funding:
- 54 505 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 18 169 €
Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
- Country:
- Finland
- Region:
- Uusimaa
- ERDF funding:
- 299 550 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 99 850 €
Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development/Stockholm Environment Insitute Tallinn Centre (SEIT)
- Country:
- Estonia
- Region:
- Põhja-Eesti
- ERDF funding:
- 212 731 €
- Amount of eligible national funding:
- 57 569 €
Results
Brochure on results of the Finnish, Estonian and Latvian Initial Assessment reports and pilot studies carried out under the project
The brochure summarizes the results of the Finnish, Estonian and Latvian Initial Assessment reports and presents results of the pilot studies carried out under the GES-REG project.
The Initial Assessment reports aimed to provide overviews of the countries' marine environmental conditions and pressures affecting them. As the countries' assessments are based on the already available data, and the monitoring and assessment methods differ by countries, the environmental statuses are not directly comparable between countries. Finland is assessing the environmental statuses by sub-basins whereas Estonia and Latvia have assessed their status by the characteristics of marine environment.
An overview of the results of initial assessments of Finnish, Estonian and Latvian marine areas ENG
Non-indigenous species field study report from the coastal areas of Latvia and Estonia
The aim of the case studies on alien species was to improve the knowledge on the effects of the non-indigenous species on the environment and gather new information about methodological aspects on alien species monitoring.
The report includes results of the Latvian pilot study that consists of two parts, first was to increase knowledge about the impacts of the invasive fish species, the round goby Neogobius melanostomus, on the environment, and second to support development of new indicators for non-indigenous species. For these purposes, an extensive sampling programme was designed and executed in the open part of the Baltic Sea along the Latvian coast.
The Estonian pilot study was to test, develop further, and assist in finalising the HELCOM port survey guidelines. For this purpose, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic biota and fish were sampled in one of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea, the port of Tallinn and results are published in the report.
Report on indicators of a good environmental status of food webs in the Baltic Sea
The report presents indicators related to food web functionality including data, methods and applicability in the Baltic Sea with special focus on key predator species, large fish, functionally important species and groups with fast turnover rates.
The report identifies the key elements of the northern Baltic Sea and analyse the pressures and risks on the selected central food web components. It also gives a review of the food web indicators that exist or have been proposed in the Baltic Sea that can be suitable as food web indicators, and food web indicators identified or proposed in the Marine Strategies of the Member States. These indicators and their properties were catalogued and an analysis on the gaps in the indicator coverage was made. A note of similarities and dissimilarities of the indicators across the Member States was included.
Indicators of the Good Environmental Status of food webs in the Baltic Sea ENG
Report on field studies on marine and beach litter
The report summarises results of the three case studies performed by the GES-REG project.
These studies were carried out in different parts of the Baltic Sea and on different topics related to the marine and coastal litter. The coastal macrolitter surveys performed in three sites in the Gulf of Riga and Gulf of Finland indicate that the strongly dominating type of litter across all three study sites was plastic/polystyrene making up to 86% of the total litter abundance.
Final report on field studies on marine and beach litter ENG
