We are thrilled to collaborate with BSAG in the Europe Class Worlds Championships.
What does BSAG stand for, and what is it about?
Baltic Sea Action Group is a non-profit organization from Finland. Our goal is to save the Baltic Sea and to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. We work with regenerative agriculture, sustainable maritime traffic, and protecting underwater marine nature.
The Baltic sea is the particular sea that we are sailing in right now and it is very close to the hearts of our sailors. From the marine protection perspective: How is the Baltic Sea doing today according to your research?
At the moment we can see the effects of eutrophication through algal blooms. Filamentous algae and cyanobacteria reproduce aggressively because of excess nutrients in the sea. This is caused by human activity on land and at sea. Algal blooms also contribute to lack of oxygen on the sea floor, because their decomposition consumes oxygen.
This process is also linked to methane emissions from the sea. This means that the sea becomes a carbon source instead of a carbon sink, and accelerates climate change.
However, this varies between different locations. Some parts of the Baltic Sea are doing better thanks to the decades long work.
No doubt many of us would like to do more for the marine protection. Could you enlighten us on: What is happening in Baltic Sea protection today, and in the future? How can we help as ordinary citizens and sailors ?
The international goal is to protect 30 % of all land and marine areas by 2030. Currently 12 % of Finnish marine areas are under protection, so we need lots of new marine protected areas in the future. In Finland these can be established by the government, municipalities, and even private citizens. It is also important to mitigate climate change and eutrophication, as these are the biggest threats to the Baltic Sea.
Ordinary citizens and sailors can help through their choices: for example eating sustainably produced food, fishing responsibly and being conscious consumers.
Sailors can avoid toxic paints on their boat, make sure not to dump dirty water and trash in the sea and avoid making excessive noise especially during the birds’ nesting season.
You can also donate to BSAG through the attached link: https://bsag.fi/lahjoita/
Please see the video from BGAG where Anna Klemelä talks about the how the Baltic Sea is doing today.
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