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April 9, 2013

Race for the Baltic – a joint campaign to save the Baltic

 

Today Race for the Baltic  launched; the campaign is a joint initiative of three environmental NGOs (Fish Secretariat, Coalition Clean Baltic and Oceana) in collaboration with the political organization GLOBE, entrepreneurs, and business partners, joining forces to call for action to save the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted seas in the world, threatened from all sides: eutrophication and other pollution, unsustainable fisheries, destruction of habitats, and so on. This campaign aims to raise awareness about the status of the sea, and involve people from local communities to political decision makers in the recovery of the sea. Several local stakeholders and national policy makers from all nine countries around the Baltic Sea actively support the campaign.

For three months this summer, a core team will cycle around the Baltic Sea through nine countries, hold events in coastal towns, and collect signatures for a petition calling on the Ministers to take action to fulfill the goals in HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. The petition will be handed over at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in October 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Race for the Baltic has three key asks:  REVIVE the biological diversity of the Baltic Sea, RECOVER the natural wealth of the fish stocks, and RESTORE water quality. Oceana’s recently published 12 new proposals for protection in the Baltic Sea and Kattegat contribute to these asks. Establishing new marine protected areas with comprehensive management plans is an essential step towards meeting the goal agreed upon in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to have a coherent network of MPAs.

You can learn more about the Race for the Baltic campaign on www.raceforthebaltic.com, and sign the petition.

This campaign has been made possible through the generous funding of Zennström Philanthropies.