The loss of biodiversity is accelerating, and we need to take urgent and concrete action to stop species extinction. The biodiversity of the sensitive and unique ecosystem of the Baltic Sea is under threat, too. Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is starting a collaborative project which utilises the extensive data from the Finnish Inventory Programme for the Underwater Marine Environment VELMU to build concrete measures to protect underwater environments. The creation of a protection plan for the pilot area of Gullkrona island in the archipelago of Southwestern Finland will begin with dives this autumn.

The project strengthens the collaboration with VELMU and the inventory project of the marine environments of Åland islands. In addition to BSAG, key collaborators include the Baltic Sea researchers professor Alf Norkko (University of Helsinki, Tvärminne zoological station), research professor and VELMU programme coordinator Markku Viitasalo (Finnish Environment Institute SYKE), special researcher Sonja Salovius-Laurén, project researcher Henna Rinne, and assistant professor Christoffer Boström (Åbo Akademi).

The Bank of Åland’s Baltic Sea Project is the strategic partner and financer of the project. The Bank of Åland funds the project with 80 000 € during its first year and the aim is to build long-term collaboration.

“The loss of biodiversity is a threat to the planet and humankind, comparable to climate change. These problems also relate to the Baltic Sea. The Bank of Åland’s Baltic Sea Project has for a long time supported projects that improve the state of the sea and we view this collaboration with BSAG as a unique opportunity to affect the state of the marine environment and advance the well-being of the Baltic Sea”, says Anne-Maria Salonius, Director for business area Finland at the Bank of Åland.

”We want to advance the protection of key species and habitats”, says Laura Höijer, Content Director at BSAG. “The aim is to increase awareness of the role of marine biodiversity and demonstrate how private entities can participate in the protection of marine environments.”

The targeting of protection measures requires information on where key areas are located. In Finland, the circumstances for building effective protection programmes are good since necessary data and knowledge on crucial underwater marine environments have been produced and mapped over the past 15 years in the VELMU programme.

”About a tenth of the Finnish sea areas are protected but based on the VELMU data we know that almost three quarters of important marine environments are outside of the currently protected areas. However, a one percent increase in protected areas would protect many ecological key species and habitats and double the effect of the protection, if the measures are well planned and precisely targeted”, says research professor Markku Viitasalo.

The underwater biodiversity of the Baltic Sea is supported by species such as bladder wrack, eelgrass and mussels. These species maintain the functions of the ecosystem by providing habitats, nutrition and refuge for several other life forms. However, eutrophication has weakened these crucial species and climate change has become another major stressor as it changes the sea, making it an unfavourable living environment for them.

To protect the biodiversity of the sea both eutrophication and climate change must be addressed, but in addition its important to protect the habitats of the key species from the pressure that human activity imposes on them.

”The majority of the most valuable areas are located in shallow waters, near isle shores. These are often areas owned by private entities. Our challenge is to help the owners – private entities, municipalities and businesses – see the value in conservation and convince them to take action. One of the aims of the project is to demonstrate how the protection can be carried out and what follows from it”, says BSAG:s Laura Höijer. “The benefits to nature are obvious but private owners also need to know what sort of restrictions conservation may entail.”

The recently opened Gullkrona island, which is popular among boaters, is the pilot area for the project. According to the VELMU data gathered so far, the surroundings of the island are rich habitats and the variety of species will be further investigated during the early autumn 2019. Following the investigation, the aim is to collaboratively build conservation measures, the implementation of which is decided on by the local fishing co-op. Moving forward, the protected areas will remain under observation. The evaluation is planned with VELMU and it is carried out by Metsähallitus.

The opportunities that private conservation entails are demonstrated not only on Gullkrona island but also through utilising the research and art activities of Korpoström Archipelago Centre and BSAG: s other communication activities.

” Broad-based cooperation enables long-term protection that affects the Baltic Sea in many ways and spans long into the future”, Höijer summarizes.

Fazer makes updates to the Baltic Sea Commitment the company made to Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) in 2018 by joining the Carbon Action platform and introducing carbon farming practices into its Grain Vision.

Being a major purchaser of grains Fazer acknowledges its responsibility for developing sustainable farming practices. BSAG has cooperated with Fazer since 2013 when Fazer made its first Baltic Sea Commitment. As part of its first Commitment, Fazer, together with its farmers, developed a Grain Vision and ten principles of sustainable farming through which the Grain Vision is implemented. The aim of the Grain Vision is to decrease the eutrophication of lakes, rivers, and the Baltic Sea, to protect biodiversity and soil fertility and to reduce the use of chemicals in farming. Now, Fazer makes updates to its second five-year Baltic Sea Commitment made in 2018 by joining the Carbon Action platform and making climate change mitigation and carbon sequestration an integral part of its Grain Vision.

The capacity of the soil to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change can be increased by taking care of the soil and the farmland. The Carbon Action platform, led by BSAG and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, combines research and practical work to fight climate change. Carbon Action finds ways of speeding up the storing of carbon in the soil from the atmosphere and confirming the increased storage scientifically. Carbon Action also promotes farming practices that store carbon (i.e. carbon farming) on Finnish farms and include the farmers in the research process. The platform enables researchers and businesses to exchange information and learn from one another.

The Grain Vision is a part of Fazer’s Baltic Sea Commitment and responsibility work

The Grain Vision is implemented through ten principles of sustainable farming. The principles, put out in 2017, were developed based on existing best practices in cooperation with farmers, farmer associations and environmental organizations. The use of chemicals and the treatment of the soil are among the issues the principles regulate. Originally, they were mainly focused on preventing eutrophication. Fazer continuously monitors the principles since farming practices are constantly evolving. Joining the Carbon Action platform supports Fazer’s sustainability goals and carbon farming practices now become a part of Fazer’s Grain Vision.

“The same means and actions can often be used to tackle both eutrophication and climate change. Our goal is, that by 2025, all Finnish grain we use will have been grown in compliance with the principles of sustainable farming,” explains Nina Elomaa, Sustainability Director at Fazer Group.

”It’s great seeing our long-term environmental cooperation with Fazer evolving and expanding into new territories,” says Laura Höijer, Content Director at BSAG. ”A large actor such as Fazer can significantly contribute to the scaling up of carbon sequestration in arable lands”, Höijer continues.

The Carbon Action business platform, managed by BSAG, brings together major companies from different parts of the food chain. Corporate cooperation facilitates the innovation of carbon neutral products and ensures that the message reaches the consumers. The ways food is produced and consumed have a large impact on the environment, our societies and our wellbeing. Fazer joining the Carbon Action cooperation presents new opportunities of solving the problems we are faced with.

Bold Projects is a nonprofit association that performed their first charity undertaking in 2018 by running 100 kilometres from Helsinki to Tammisaari, urging people to donate money for breast cancer research. The run was a success as they managed to raise over 12 000 euros for a good cause.

This year instead of running, they will row. The four person team (Valtteri Ikäheimo, Bernhard Forstén, Eddie Myrskog and Linus Lehto) will row from Stockholm to Helsinki at the end of July. The feat goes by the name Bold Voyage.

Since Bold Voyage rows at the Baltic Sea, this year’s recipient of donations is the Baltic Sea Action Group. Bold Projects wants to raise awareness on the poor condition of the Baltic Sea, and encourage people to donate money for BSAG’s work for the sea. Donations can be made by companies and private individuals, and the donors will be featured on the project’s campaign page.

”BSAG has seemed like a good donee since the start of the project. We contacted them at the end of last year and since then have worked in collaboration to prepare for the launch of the campaign”, tells Bold Projects’ Valtteri Ikäheimo.

The route across the Baltic Sea is approximately 500 kilometres long, requiring not only smooth team work and tolerance to stress, but also that the rowers are in excellent physical shape. Training with a rowing club began in January, and since then the rowers have trained almost daily. The boat will have a small cabin where two team members can sleep while the other two row. The goal is to reach Helsinki in 5-7 days.

”July is usually the season for cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea, which is the most obvious sign of the sea’s eutrophication problem. We are thrilled that Bold Projects wants to help the Baltic Sea in this innovative way! BSAG wishes tailwind for the rowers and will follow the progress of the journey excitedly”, says BSAG’s content director Laura Höijer.

Campaign page can be found at www.boldvoyage.fi.

More information on Bold Projects at www.boldprojects.org.

The new EU Fertilising Products Regulation (FRP) is published. This will open the European market for recycled fertilisers, for recycling technologies, and for other organic and organo-mineral fertilisers.

Nutrient recycling is an important part of circular economy and linked to the Baltic Sea in several ways:  when the nutrients stay in sustainable use, they will not leak to the water ways, recycled organic fertilisers also improve soil health and carbon storage, which keep nutrients in the plant use and mitigate climate change.

Baltic Sea Action Group has actively promoted sustainable and safe nutrient recycling since 2013 and according to many played a pivotal part in getting nutrients included to the EU circular economy strategy, of which the new EU Fertilising Products Regulation is a part.

The JRC report proposing criteria for new materials to be included to the regulation, such as biochars/pyrolysis materials, struvite/recovered phosphate salts, ash-based products, is also in process.

Read more here.

Over the next two years, BSAG participates in a pan-Baltic consortium in the Interreg funded project WATERDRIVE. Waterdrive promotes a holistic multi-benefit approach, utilizing the synergies between agricultural water management and river basin management. It engages local multi-stakeholder groups and implements local case projects to gather evidence and tools to execute more holistic cross-sector water management projects which benefit the farmer, the nature and the wider community. Waterdrive is strongly aligned with the climate contingency strategies for agriculture on the national level and it seeks to establish a strong enough evidence basis for the needed adaptations in the policy mechanisms and administration.

The WATERDRIVE consortium, consisting of 18 partners from the EU countries (inclusion of Russia and Belarus in the project is in process), brings together national, regional and local authorities, research institutes, agricultural advisory organisations, interest organisations, environmental NGO’s and companies. As such, it is a true cross-sector multi-actor collaboration platform with decades of joint experience in working with diffuse source nutrient pollution management and assessment and in execution of concrete agri-environment projects on local and municipal levels. Many key actors being members of the consortium, the project can motor the process for change and produce results which enjoy strong support from within the stakeholders and which are realistically implemented. As an example, a model of a result-based agri-environmental compensation scheme will be tested and assessed in Sweden. Digitalization and the use of advanced decision support systems is at the core of the project and it will make advanced digital decision support systems available for a number of farms, which will test and co-develop the systems. Supporting integration across scales, the same tools are also demonstrated and tested with advisors and planning authorities.

BSAG’s role in the project mainly concerns work package 5, which focuses on creating impact. BSAG leads an activity compiling best practices for financing collaborative local projects. Within this activity, some local demonstration investment projects will be developed for implementation. Beyond that, participation in Waterdrive strengthens BSAG’s work on climate smart agriculture on the Carbon Action platform by enabling the establishing of strong links and collaboration across the existing work on farming practices and soil and water management provided by the Waterdrive project. Waterdrive maintains a strong focus on the catchment and landscape levels with a specific attention on water quality thereby offering broader reference context and stakeholder basis to complement the Carbon Action platform. BSAG’s existing cooperation with various actors in the regions of Southern and Southwestern Finland provides a strong expert and stakeholder basis for joint learning through testing practices and measures. In Finland, Waterdrive will be implemented in practice in the River Porvoo catchment area, where the aim of drainage renovation works (coordinated by ProAgria Southern Finland) is to sustainably improve drainage and mitigate flood risks while preserving the fisheries and spawning grounds. A challenging task, but as such, it goes well with BSAG’s portfolio and track record.

Waterdrive runs until June 2021 and is coordinated by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The other Finnish partners are Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and Finnish Field Drainage Association. The project website will be opened soon, until then, more information is available on the Interreg website or in Finnish here.

Efficient manure and nutrient management in agriculture is beneficial for the environment and for the farmer, and, thus, the only way to secure sustainable food production in the future. Surplus of nutrients, in particular phosphorus, in certain geographic regions due to increasing segregation of animal and crop production is a common problem across the Baltic Sea Region, wider Europe and around the world. Furthermore, mineral phosphorus reserves are a definite resource and are both subject to and driving social and political conflicts. To tackle the issue with a focus on increasing the sustainable use of organic and recycled fertilizers, in particular those based on manure, an international consortium has been established. A two-year platform, funded by Interreg, SuMaNu (Sustainable Manure and Nutrient Management for reduction of nutrient loss in the Baltic Sea Region) aims to analyse and synthesize approaches to sustainable manure and nutrient management promoted by four international projects. These are Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects Baltic Slurry Acidification and Manure Standards, Interreg Central Baltic project GreenAgri and BONUS Programme project BONUS PROMISE. BSAG participates in the platform taking charge of the communication, interaction and impact activities. The platform also enables an international interface and extension to BSAG’s successful work over the last decade in nutrient recycling (read more here). As the first international policy dialogue event, BSAG organises a high profile panel discussion as a side event to the European Days for Sustainable Circular Economy in Helsinki on 30 September 2019. Programme and registration for the event titled Circular economy in agriculture – how to advance nutrient circulation, soil quality and healthy environment is open here, along with information about the three-day main event and other side events. The SuMaNu platform has its own website at https://balticsumanu.eu/

Ammonia emissions in agriculture represent 95% of all ammonia emissions in the Baltic Sea Region and most of this comes from livestock and manure management operations. Ammonia emissions drive particulate matter formation and thus seriously deteriorate air quality, causing hazards to human health. On farm level, ammonia emissions are but a health risk, also environmental and economic problem as much of the valuable nitrogen fertilizer is lost in the air during the manure handling chain if appropriate measures are not in place in the stables, storage and in field application.  

BSAG participated in a three-year Interreg-funded project Baltic Slurry Acidification which ended in February 2019. The consortium of 17 partners from all countries around the Baltic Sea investigated and demonstrated the use of specific technologies to mitigate ammonia emissions by addition of acid in the slurry in different parts of the manure management chain. The results of the project were presented and widely discussed at the international seminar arrange in Jyväskylä, Finland in the context of the Knowledge Exchange Days on agri-environmental issues on 12-13 February 2019. The event, co-organized by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Rural Network gathered a wide national and international participation. Erik Sindhöj, the project coordinator from RISE, Sweden presented the acidification technologies (Slurry Acidification Technologies, SAT) and summarized that based on the project, the effect of the technologies on ammonia reduction is clearly positive with very limited negative effects observed. The presentation spurred active discussion and there was a lot of interest for more details, especially among those who had heard about these technologies earlier, based on research and field demonstrations by Natural Resources Institute Finland carried out since 2014. Those hungry for information can visit the project website to find all the reports published under different thematic components. All presentations from the event are available on the Rural Network website. Among them is presentation by Conrad Stralka of the Baltic 2020 foundation featuring an application of acidification technology on a pilot farm in Poland. 

A dedicated seminar on the results of the Baltic Slurry Acidification project was organised on the previous day. This summarized the 360 degree insight to slurry acidification technologies carried out across the project’s thematic work packages. This assessment is presented in the specific reports and provides for an assessment of the environmental, agronomic and economic effects, lessons in practical implementation and from field tests as well as preconditions for supporting wider implementation of the technologies through policy and incentives. The broad pan-Baltic partnership, which included research, authorities, agricultural advisory organisations, farms and agricultural contractors, enabled to thoroughly evaluate the technologies and their implementation from different perspectives and in different agricultural context. Laboratory tests, field tests and demonstration investments using different types of slurry (pig and cattle) and digestates on different crops (grains and grasses) and on different soil types highlighted the differences and the need for farm-specific optimization in implementing slurry acidification technologies. The investments in the machinery for in-storage and in-field acidification made in six countries concretely connected the project with the end users and provide opportunities to continue to test and demonstrate the use of these systems. The practical aspects of using the SAT’s on farms was present throughout the project and the project produced lot of practically applicable information for farm entrepreneurs, contractors and advisors, as well as for authorities and regulators. For instance, working safety aspects are thoroughly covered. The tools produced for assessing economic and environmental implications can be used to consider how slurry acidification can respond to different objectives and what are the optimal framework conditions for their introduction in a palette of agri-environment and clean tech measures in agriculture. 

The project concluded that regardless of the variability in local circumstances, slurry acidification – and the specific SAT’s in particular – could be introduced in all Baltic Sea Region countries. Only in case of Russia and Belarus some reservations remain, mainly due to the framework conditions and regulative frameworks.  

“In concrete numbers, the six pilot investments made in the project help to save 67 000 kg nitrogen annually. This amount stays in the slurry to nourish the soil and plant growth, instead of evaporating in the air where it is transported to feed algae growth or formation of particulate pollution. The project calculated an overall theoretical potential for 10 000 new SAT equipment in the region, which would help the EU countries to meet 88% of their required ammonia emission targets under the NEC directive”, says Paula Biveson, the project communication manager from the Baltic Sea Action Group. 

In order to discuss the implementation and regulative aspects of slurry acidification technologies with authorities and experts on the national level, dedicated round table discussions were organized in almost all countries over the final months of the project. An international policy workshop arranged in Jyväskylä after the main event provided an opportunity to summarize these discussions as well as for some country representatives to provide more specific insight to the relevant regulatory context. The outcome of these discussions highlight the importance of the urgency with NEC targets for ammonia, the stringency of regulation on nitrogen as factors that can increase the attractiveness for SAT’s. Also the tradition and present subsidies on agri-environment measures influence country level considerations. These same aspects, balancing with the stick and the carrot approaches, were also discussed in Brussels in November 2018 where BSAG organized an EU level stakeholder event on the topic.   

The three-year project has compiled a thorough information package on the effects and implementation considerations of slurry acidification technologies (SAT) in the Baltic Sea Region. This opens for the possibility for more specific country, industry and farm level considerations as to whether and how to introduce these solutions for a wider use. The results and lessons of the project will be more widely spread and discussed over the next two years in the Interreg funded platform project SuMaNu, in which BSAG is also involved as a partner. Linking manure and agricultural nutrient issues to circular economy, the SuMaNu platform also provides for an international extension of the BSAG’s work on nutrient recycling in this sector. 

Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki (“Support association for soil and water technologies”) has granted funding of € 260,000 to BSAG lead MAANEUVO project (“Sustainable soil management and carbon farming through extensive use of research findings and advisor practices”). The aim of the project is to bring results of the Carbon Action and Ruralia Institute’s OSMO project to the use of agricultural advisers, educate 30 plant production advisors to become experts in soil health, and strengthen collaboration between researchers, advisers and farmers. The project is a collaboration of BSAG, the Ruralia Institute, the Finnish Environment Institute and ProAgria Southern Finland.

Many benefits can be achieved with sustainable soil management and carbon farming: higher yield levels, sequestration of atmospheric carbon, reduced leakages of nutrients and organic matter into waterbodies. In addition, sustainable soil management helps adapting cultivation practices to changing climate conditions.

“Research knowledge of effective measures exists, but we lack practical implementation. That is why MAANEUVO project is essential for advancing carbon farming. We are going to train plant production advisers with our partners and disseminate research knowledge to farmers and advisers”, tells BSAG Project Director Eija Hagelberg.

Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki association was established in 1949 to support water technologies and related environmental technology and soil condition protection.

“The Carbon Action project has several links to soil condition and water management that have already been subject of our support for decades,” tells Maa ja vesitekniikan tuki association executive director Timo Maasilta.

The project is directly connected to the Carbon Action platform (www.carbonaction.org) managed by BSAG where farmers are educated to store carbon in arable lands (carbon farming). In addition, high quality research is created under the leadership of the Finnish Meteorological Institute concerning on the long-term ability to store atmospheric carbon to soils

“Interest towards Carbon Action -project has been exceptionally high among farmers, private sector and decision makers. The bottleneck in the large-scale practical implementation of carbon farming is education of professional advisers and dissemination of research information to advisers and farmers”, Hagelberg says.

“Researchers, advisers and farmers are busy in their daily work, and there is hardly any natural interaction between these groups. However, cooperation is essential when ensuring the dissemination of information for relevant actors. Farmers provide feedback for researchers, while advisers play an important role in communicating research findings to farmers. MAANEUVO is a link in activating the co-operation of these groups”, Hagelberg emphasizes.

The four-year project also enables long-term strategic cooperation between BSAG and Maa- ja vesitekniikan tuki association.

– STN MULTA, a major project designed in the Carbon Action platform, receives research funding from the Strategic Research Council (SRC) at the Academy of Finland.

The ambitious goals of the Carbon Action platform have taken a momentous leap forward as funding for the STN MULTA research consortium led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute has been granted for 3 years. The Carbon Action platform, launched by Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) in 2017, works to promote and verify the carbon sequestration of agricultural land. The three-year funding was granted through the Strategic Research Council’s Program Call titled “Towards a Sustainable, Healthy and Climate-neutral Food System (FOOD)” and it will enable long-term research on soil carbon sequestration and carbon storage and the continued work of the Carbon Action pilot.

The aims of the Multi-benefit solutions to climate-smart agriculture (MULTA) project are (i) to develop climate-friendly farming practices that benefit the food system, (ii) to experiment on farms, (iii) to develop a carbon-proofing system, and (iv) to develop economic and other tools to implement these solutions in Finland and elsewhere. Like the Carbon Action platform, STN MULTA develops and carries forward holistic systemic change with farmers, businesses and decision-makers.

“The food system is facing great challenges. It should be a significant part of climate change mitigation and at the same time produce healthy food for a growing population”, Jari Liski, Research Professor at the Meteorological Institute says.

“Sequestrating carbon to agricultural land is a big opportunity for the food system to respond to the climate crisis. We expect STN MULTA to provide desperately needed answers to questions that are asked globally”, Liski continues.

“The regenerative agriculture at the heart of STN MULTA offers not only climate mitigation but also other benefits. It improves soil condition, crop security and yields, increases biodiversity, food quality, nutrient and water retention, and thus reduces nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea”, says Saara Kankaanrinta, Chair of the Carbon Action steering group and the BSAG Foundation.

“Combining climate, Baltic Sea and biodiversity work and turning the agricultural paradigm is more important than ever. Expertise can become a real strategic advantage for Finland. We are in an enormous hurry to solve these crises, and we thank the Strategic Research Council for making our work possible”, Kankaanrinta summarizes.

The Baltic Sea Action Group is responsible for the interaction of the multi-benefit STN MULTA project, the mission of which is to ensure that interaction and strategic communication lead to maximum impact. Co-operation with all stakeholders has already begun at the project planning stage and the interaction is continuous and takes place across all project activities.

“The role of BSAG in bringing together research and practice has been unique in Carbon Action. I don’t think any other actor would even have dared to go as big as BSAG when they started planning Carbon Action and getting the scientists involved. The interaction of STN MULTA could not be in better hands”, Liski says.

The consortium is led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the other members are Baltic Sea Action Group, University of Helsinki, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, and University of Zurich.

The project has an impressive and extensive team of national and international members: a multidisciplinary research consortium and diverse stakeholders.

The consortium partners:

Jari Liski, Finnish Meteorological Institute

Annalea Lohila, University of Helsinki/Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research

Anna-Liisa Laine, University of Zurich

Laura Höijer, Elävä Itämeri säätiö (Baltic Sea Action Group, BSAG)

Risto Uusitalo, Natural Resources Institute Finland

Jussi Heinonsalo, University of Helsinki

Tuomas Mattila, Finnish Environment Institute

Other researchers:

Finnish Meteorological Institute: Liisa Kulmala, Julius Vira, Mika Aurela, Miia Salminen

Natural Resources Institute Finland: Kristiina Regina, Hannu Fritze, Tapio Salo, Helena Soinne, Jaakko Heikkinen, Taina Pennanen

University of Helsinki: Karoliina Huusko, Mari Pihlatie, Kristiina Karhu, Noora Manninen, Sanna Kanerva, Markku Ollikainen, Sanna Lötjönen, Bartosz Adamczyk

BSAG: Pieta Jarva, Michaela Ramm-Schmidt, Kaj Granholm, Paula Biveson

STAKEHOLDERS:

100 carbon farmers

Ministries:

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of the Environment  & Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Companies:

Valio Oy, Apetit Ruoka Oy, Fazer Group, Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta S group / SOK, Altia Oyj, Viking Malt Oy

Other national stakeholders:

Liisa Pietola, The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)

Pekka Heikkinen, Qvidja Farm

Juuso Joona, Tyynelä farm

Sari Peltonen, Finland Association of ProAgria Centres

Rikard Korkman, Finland Central Union of Swedish-speaking Agricultural Producers in Finland

Susann Rännäri, Finland Luomuliitto ry – Finnish organic farmers association

Fredrik von Limburg Stirum, Koskis Estate

Hanna Mattila,  Sitra

Teemu Lehmusruusu, Telling tree art+rsrch

Agricultural Educational Institutions:

Häme University of applied sciences

International researchers:

Germany: Christopher Poeplau, Thünen Institue of Climate-Smart Agriculture & Peter Leinweber, Germany University of Rostock & Axel Don, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute

Estonia: Maarja Öpik, University of Tartu

China: Chao Liang, Chinese Academy of Sciences

France: Lauric Cecillon, Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure & Jean-Francois Soussana French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) & Jussi Lankoski, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Netherlands: Rachel Creamer, Wageningen University

Spain: Raul Zornoza, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena

United States: Keith Paustian, Colorado State University

United Kingdom: Jonathan Hillier, The University of Edinburgh

Sweden: Per Weslien, Sweden University of Gothenburg

Denmark: Berit Hasler, Aarhus University Research

International networks:

Carbon Farming North Sea Region project/ network

4 per 1000 initiative Secretariat

ICOS ERIC Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS)

The world’s first seawater aqua jogging event will be held on Thursday 11th of July in Lonna island. The participation fees are donated to the Baltic Sea Action Group work for saving the Baltic Sea.

The easy-going summer event is for all friends of the Baltic Sea, regardless of the previous aqua jogging experience. You can participate individually, with friends or with a company team. The participation fee is 10 euros for individuals, which includes a sauna drink from the sauna and DROPP and Saimaa Brewery.

Companies can participate in the event by assembling a team of maximum four-persons. The participation fee for a company is 250 euros. Sauna and drinks from DROPP and Saimaa Brewery for runners are included.

The event will start at 2 pm and the corporate groups will have go into the waves at 3 pm. In addition to aqua jogging, the event at Lonna offers the latest information on the Baltic Sea by Seppo Knuuttila from the Finnish Environment Institute, as well as music performances and a relaxed atmosphere.

By participating in the seawater aqua jogging event, one can combine supporting the Baltic Sea and enjoying a fun summer day at the wonderful island of Lonna. Also, spectators are warmly welcome!

You can find the Facebook event here (in Finnish): https://www.facebook.com/events/891004207915583/

Companies can register here (in Finnish): https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/B8C5C08ADA6B06B7.par