Baltic Sea 2020

The foundation was established by Mr. Björn Carlson through the single largest private donation, 500 million SEK, ever made in Sweden.

Baltic Sea 2020 is a private foundation with the main goal to contribute towards turning the negative environmental trend of the Baltic Sea in a positive direction by the year 2020. This is achieved through using a donation of 500 million SEK on concrete measures such as: research, opinion making and active engagement in projects.

Because action is needed. Otherwise the quality of life for the approximately 90 million people who live in the Baltic Sea region will deteriorate. We can make a difference, the organisationís founder Björn Carlson is convinced of this. He wants to use his donation to create a strong and agile organisation that is capable of bypassing politics and bureaucracy, to secure that decisions are made and initiatives executed.   

Focus Areas

 
Fish
The Baltic Sea states have collaborated to improve the marine environment for more than 30 years, but the fish in the Baltic Sea have never been part of that work. Current research shows that the loss of predators high up in the food chain of an ecosystem, such as seal or cod, can lead to chain reactions. It is likely that the decreasing Baltic cod population has led to more extensive eutrophication effects and contributed to the loss of perch and pike along the Swedish coast.

The future of the cod fishery hinges on the cod population – an issue that affects the environment as well as fishermen. Sustainable populations are necessary for the fishing industry to survive in the long run, and the Baltic Sea environment needs predator fish to curb eutrophication.

Today the EU regulates fishing and therefore fish stocks. The regulations are heavily influenced by member states that are more concerned with promoting the fishing industry than appreciating the value of fish as a part of the Baltic Sea environment.

Eutrophication
Since the 1940s, discharge of the most important nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, has doubled, leading to extensive ecological changes. Nearly all human activity – farming, households, transports – add nutrients to the sea.

Nutrients cause eutrophication. This leads to increased growth of organisms such as phytoplankton. The amount of organic material in the water increases, triggering several physical, chemical and biological changes in the plant and animal populations, leading to dead sea bottoms.

Media and Advocacy
The inhabitants of the Baltic Sea region care about the sea, but few realise how their lives and actions affect the marine environment, or what they can do to reduce that impact. Developments in the area of media make it possible to raise the public's awareness via newspaper articles, the internet, film, television and more.

In addition to raising public awareness, it is crucial to make politicians and decision makers in the Baltic Sea region aware of issues and measures that will improve the marine environment. Many of the changes needed to curb environmental problems can only be achieved through political effort and changes in laws and regulations.
 

 www.balticsea2020.org