The Baltic Health Index (BHI): Assessing the social–ecological status of the Baltic Sea

Blenckner, Thorsten; Möllmann, Christian; Lowndes, Julia S. Stewart; Griffiths, Jennifer R.; Campbell, Eleanore; Cervo, Andrea De; Belgrano, Andrea; Boström, Christoffer; Fleming, Vivi; Frazier, Melanie; Neuenfeldt, Stefan; Niiranen, Susa; Nilsson, Annika; Ojaveer, Henn; Olsson, Jens; Palmlöv, Christine S.; Quaas, Martin F.; Rickels, Wilfried; Sobek, Anna; Viitasalo, Markku; Wikström, Sofia A.; Halpern, Benjamin S.

doi:10.1002/pan3.10178

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(135 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indices have been calculated to quantify the different effects and interrelations (e.g. HELCOM, 2018a; Korpinen et al, 2012;Blenckner et al, 2021), and the work has also been incorporated into decision support systems or general advice for decision makers (Meier et al, 2012(Meier et al, , 2014Hyytiäinen et al, 2021). Studies concerning the Baltic Sea have identified eutrophication, hazardous substances, non-indigenous species and fisheries (Korpinen et al, 2012;Andersen et al, 2015;HELCOM, 2018a;Andersen et al, 2020; as the most detrimental factors, but also acidification and climate change (Jutterström et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Coastal environments, in particular heavily populated semi-enclosed marginal seas and coasts like the Baltic Sea region, are strongly affected by human activities. A multitude of human impacts, including climate change, affect the different compartments of the environment, and these effects interact with each other. As part of the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEAR), we present an inventory and discussion of different human-induced factors and processes affecting the environment of the Baltic Sea region, and their interrelations. Some are naturally occurring and modified by human activities (i.e. climate change, coastal processes, hypoxia, acidification, submarine groundwater discharges, marine ecosystems, non-indigenous species, land use and land cover), some are completely human-induced (i.e. agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, river regulations, offshore wind farms, shipping, chemical contamination, dumped warfare agents, marine litter and microplastics, tourism, and coastal management), and they are all interrelated to different degrees. We present a general description and analysis of the state of knowledge on these interrelations. Our main insight is that climate change has an overarching, integrating impact on all of the other factors and can be interpreted as a background effect, which has different implications for the other factors. Impacts on the environment and the human sphere can be roughly allocated to anthropogenic drivers such as food production, energy production, transport, industry and economy. The findings from this inventory of available information and analysis of the different factors and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region can largely be transferred to other comparable marginal and coastal seas in the world.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has interrogated the urban nature of the mega‐city (Oh et al, 2021) and the cultural landscapes of the garden (Teuber, 2021). It has explored vast stretches of the open sea (Blenckner et al, 2021; Fleming et al, 2019) alongside the micro worlds of the river corridor (Leigh et al, 2019). And it has encompassed the study of nature both near and far: the nearby nature of the local park and woodland (Austen et al, 2021; Hoyle et al, 2019); the hidden and mysterious nature of the ocean floor and; the luminous nature of the moon in the night sky (Kaikkonen & van Putten, 2021).…”

Section: Emerging Topics Themes and Emphasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

People and nature: The emerging signature of a relational journal

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Improving our understanding of connections between MPAs and ES also requires further understanding and consideration of the linkages between species traits, population, and ecosystem dynamics, and of spatial connectivity to assess MPAs networks (Jonsson et al, 2019). This may also further connect to models at the regional and global scale that encompass the social and economic relevance of biodiversity (such as the Ocean Health Index; Halpern et al, 2012Halpern et al, , 2014Blenckner et al, 2021), of place-based and practice-oriented methods [such as the Open Standards for the Practice of conservation approach used in quite a few coastal MPA processes across Sweden; Morf et al, forthcoming and e.g., Gee, 2019), and of the UN SDGs (Claudet et al, 2020).…”

Section: Measuring the Effectiveness Of Mpasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping and Evaluating Marine Protected Areas and Ecosystem Services: A Transdisciplinary Delphi Forecasting Process Framework

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for management and conservation and play an increasingly recognised role in societal and human well-being. However, the assessment of MPAs often lacks a simultaneous consideration of ecological and socio-economic outcomes, and this can lead to misconceptions on the effectiveness of MPAs. In this perspective, we present a transdisciplinary approach based on the Delphi method for mapping and evaluating Marine Protected Areas for their ability to protect biodiversity while providing Ecosystem Services (ES) and related human well-being benefits – i.e., the ecosystem outputs from which people benefit. We highlight the need to include the human dimensions of marine protection in such assessments, given that the effectiveness of MPAs over time is conditional on the social, cultural and institutional contexts in which MPAs evolve. Our approach supports Ecosystem-Based Management and highlights the importance of MPAs in achieving restoration, conservation, and sustainable development objectives in relation to EU Directives such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

show abstract

The Baltic Health Index (BHI): Assessing the social–ecological status of the Baltic Sea

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 21 publications

References 61 publications

Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region

Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region

People and nature: The emerging signature of a relational journal

Mapping and Evaluating Marine Protected Areas and Ecosystem Services: A Transdisciplinary Delphi Forecasting Process Framework

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About