BSAG’s Christmas campaign celebrated marine biodiversity and broke a new record

The Baltic Sea Action Group’s annual Christmas campaign collected a record-breaking 231 050 euros from 150 businesses and organizations. The campaign focused on the Baltic Sea’s underwater biodiversity, and the campaign slogan was Long live the Baltic Sea.

As usual, the Long live the Baltic Sea campaign was targeted at companies and other organizations, offering them the chance to donate money for the Baltic Sea instead of spending it on material Christmas presents. In exchange they received communications material, with which to inform their partners of the donation. The donors can be found at the campaign site, where they can be seen as different species of the Baltic Sea. The campaign site became livelier and more diverse as the donations increased!

Once again, the campaign result broke all previous records. Biggest donations were received from PwC Finland (20 000 euros) and the S-group (10 000 euros). With their 20 000 euro donation, PwC Finland got to swim on the top of the campaign site as a rare porpoise, and the S-group was featured as a legendary codfish.

The Baltic Sea is often presented through its problems, as it is one of the most polluted seas in the world. The sea suffers from eutrophication and poor oxygen conditions, and climate change is predicted to exacerbate these issues. However, the Baltic Sea is also beautiful and bustling with life under its surface. One of the Long live the Baltic Sea campaign’s missions was to honor the unique habitants of the sea and to bring attention to the need to secure their future.

”A living and healthy Baltic Sea is the purpose of our work. The Long live the Baltic Sea campaign served as a reminder that despite being in poor condition in many places, the Baltic Sea is far from dead. We are glad that this positive message of defending the sea’s biodiversity reached donors so well. Saving the Baltic Sea requires cooperation, and for example businesses have an important role in this endeavor”, says BSAG’s Managing Director Michaela Ramm-Schmidt.

The species in the Baltic Sea are unique since both freshwater species and marine species need to adapt to the water’s low salinity. Even small changes in the surroundings, for example as a result of climate change, can be fatal to the sea’s habitants. Ecosystems that are rich in biodiversity are more resilient and able to adapt to changing environments. This is one of the reasons why protecting species richness in the Baltic Sea is important.

BSAG works to protect the Baltic Sea’s biodiversity in the Baltic Sea Action for Biodiversity project. To ensure underwater biodiversity, problems such as eutrophication also need to be solved. BSAG fights eutrophication through, e.g., advancing sustainable agriculture and nutrient cycling.

Watch the Long live the Baltic Sea campaign video here. The campaign site and donors can be found here: www.jouluahjaitamerelle.fi. The site and the campaign video are in Finnish.