Baltic
Brackish water and shallow coastal areas characterize the relatively young Baltic Sea. Its mixture of species from the open Atlantic and from the lakes and rivers emptying into this sea is unique. But agricultural run-off, traffic and other pollutants from a watershed area four times as large as the sea itself have made the Baltic one of the world's most polluted seas. Only through international cooperation can progress be made.
WWF's work in the region address forests, rivers, coastal lagoons and offshore areas. A main focus of the programme has been to promote a more efficient implementation of the Helsinki Convention for the protection of the Baltic Sea. One of the successes is the inclusion of a special article on nature conservation and biodiversity protection in the revised 1992 Helsinki Convention. To fulfill this commitment, the Helsinki Commission has adopted WWF's proposal to establish a system of more than 60 Baltic Coastal and Marine Protected Areas. By the request of governments in the region, WWF also coordinated the development of integrated coastal management plans for five large coastal lagoons and wetland areas along the southern-southeastern Baltic coasts.
Contact
Baltic Programme, c/o WWF Finland, Lintulahdenkatu 10, 0500 Helsinki 50, Finland