What evidence exists for the impact of Baltic Sea ecosystems on human health and well-being? A systematic map protocol

Abstract Background The Baltic Sea ecosystems supply many benefits to society, termed ecosystem services. These depend upon a healthy marine environment requiring marine and relevant land-based policies integrated with public health policies. Until recently marine environment protection policies have largely focussed on human impacts on the environment and have not taken into account impacts of ecosystems on human health beyond the direct impacts of hazardous substances, such as those present in seafood. Whilst endeavours have been made to integrate human health and well-being into marine policies, interviews with key stakeholders through a participatory process revealed that the linkages were not sufficiently strong to inform policymaking. The existing evidence base urgently needs to be identified and synthesised to support relevant policy updates of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 2008/56/EC and the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) (2007) as well as to help direct future research priorities. Method The protocol is based on the primary question, “What linkages have been researched between Baltic Sea ecosystems and the positive and negative impacts to human health and well-being?” Using systematic mapping, this study will identify and map the state and the geographical distribution of the existing research evidence linking human health and well-being with the Baltic Sea ecosystems. The types of ecosystem services supplied by the Baltic Sea and the associated health and well-being impacts will be categorised and presented in a graphical matrix, illustrating ecosystem service type and the types of health and well-being outcomes. The systematic mapping procedure will result in a narrative report published with a searchable database, which will contain a descriptive summary of the information from all of the eligible studies. The systematic map and database will be displayed on the website of the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE).

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Evidence on the impact of Baltic Sea ecosystems on human health and well-being: a systematic map

Environmental Evidence ◽

10.1186/s13750-021-00244-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Joanna Storie ◽

Monika Suškevičs ◽

Fiona Nevzati ◽

Mart Külvik ◽

Tinka Kuhn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Human Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Coastal Environment ◽

Human Populations ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Systematic Map ◽

The Baltic ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Background While the unique marine and coastal environment of the Baltic Sea provides numerous ecosystem services, its ecosystems are under pressure due to the intensification and diversification of anthropogenic uses. This present work constitutes a systematic map of the evidence of the impacts of ecosystem services and disservices on human health and well-being. The aim is to create a better understanding of the threats of unsustainable management or the benefits of sustainable management of the Baltic Sea and the impacts these may have on the health and well-being of human populations and present these findings to policy advisors. The mapping process is described, and the characteristics of the evidence base are presented. Methods The applied method has been previously published in a systematic map protocol. Literature searches were carried out in English considering published peer-reviewed literature from traditional scientific journals and scientific reports from the grey literature, using synthesis software. A total of 17 databases were searched. Articles were screened in stages at title and abstract stage, then full-text stage. Geographic limitations were placed on the searches in accordance with research funders call, however, watersheds that had an impact on the Baltic Sea marine and coastal regions were considered. We used the more open PEO format, where population (P) included the human populations within the marine and coastal environment of the Baltic Sea region, exposure (E) related to the Baltic Sea ecosystems services and disservices, and the outcome (O) included all aspects of human health and well-being. After full-text screening articles selected for inclusion were searched for metadata connected to bibliographic information, ecosystem services, health and well-being outcomes and policy relevance. Review findings Out of 6456 hits only 460 studies discussed either health or well-being indicators to some extent. Of these, only 67 explicitly mentioned ecosystem services and health and well-being indicators. However, few in this subset engaged with the topic of ecosystem services or disservices and health and well-being in depth. Studies are increasingly relating the two concepts but currently it is mainly studies focussed on cultural ecosystem services that deal with the concept of health and well-being to a greater degree. Studies in the medical literature relating to impacts on health from exposure to the Baltic Sea did not relate their findings to ecosystem services. The database of 67 studies is attached as Additional file 5. Conclusions Ecosystem services play an important role in human health and well-being; however, we found few studies that explicitly examine these impacts in detail. Further research is needed to link the health and well-being outcomes from the Baltic Sea to the ecosystem services supplied and therefore to demonstrate the benefits and disservices provided by the Baltic Sea ecosystems to human populations.

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Boosting urban health and well-being through cross-sectoral cooperation

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.376 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

A Liinamo ◽

K Matinheikki-Kokko ◽

I Gobina ◽

A Villeruša

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Well Being ◽

The Self ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

The Baltic ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract In the future, health promotion would require developed strategies that lead to stronger cross-sectoral cooperation. Cross-sectoral cooperation enables the integration of fragmented resources and competencies, which benefit service solutions for urban health. Healthy Boost “Urban Labs for Better Health for All in the Baltic Sea Region”, funded by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region -program, aims to develop the Model for cross-sectoral cooperation, which will be tested in the cities of the Baltic Sea Region during 2020-21. The self-assessment tool for cross-sectoral cooperation was developed, and the self-assessment among the nine cities in seven countries from the Baltic Sea Region was conducted in 2019. The results indicated to what extent the staff (n = 329) in the cities have recognized the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing as strategically crucial in their policies, communication, and in the design of their organizational functions. The daily practices were evaluated in terms of how systematically cities have implemented cross-sector actions for health and wellbeing. The biggest challenges for cooperating across sectors for the cities were coordination and systematic identification of the community needs for health promotion. The cooperative actions were less systematic than expected in the strategic approach. The variation among respondents' assessments was high within the cities that lead to a conclusion about existing gaps in coordination, communication, and leadership of cross-sectoral work within the cities. The Likert type self-assessment measurement was statistically reliable in both strategic and operational dimensions of cooperation. Key messages Evaluation and measurements are needed to identify cross-sectoral actions to health and well-being. The evidence-based Model developed in the Healthy Boost project will guide partners towards systematic cross-sectoral cooperation processes.

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Cultural ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea marine environment

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-019-01239-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (11) ◽

pp. 1350-1361 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Heini Ahtiainen ◽

Eero Liski ◽

Eija Pouta ◽

Katriina Soini ◽

Christine Bertram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

The Baltic

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Rapid speciation in a newly opened postglacial marine environment, the Baltic Sea

BMC Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1186/1471-2148-9-70 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 70 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Ricardo T Pereyra ◽

Lena Bergström ◽

Lena Kautsky ◽

Kerstin Johannesson

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Marine Environment ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Rapid Speciation ◽

The Baltic

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Deoxygenation impacts on Baltic Sea cod: Dramatic declines in ecosystem services of an iconic keystone predator

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-021-01572-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandro Orio ◽

Yvette Heimbrand ◽

Karin Limburg

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Gadus Morhua ◽

Generalized Additive Model ◽

Additive Model ◽

Maximum Length ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Hypoxic Zone ◽

The Baltic ◽

Baltic Cod

AbstractThe intensified expansion of the Baltic Sea’s hypoxic zone has been proposed as one reason for the current poor status of cod (Gadus morhua) in the Baltic Sea, with repercussions throughout the food web and on ecosystem services. We examined the links between increased hypoxic areas and the decline in maximum length of Baltic cod, a demographic proxy for services generation. We analysed the effect of different predictors on maximum length of Baltic cod during 1978–2014 using a generalized additive model. The extent of minimally suitable areas for cod (oxygen concentration ≥ 1 ml l−1) is the most important predictor of decreased cod maximum length. We also show, with simulations, the potential for Baltic cod to increase its maximum length if hypoxic areal extent is reduced to levels comparable to the beginning of the 1990s. We discuss our findings in relation to ecosystem services affected by the decrease of cod maximum length.

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Hydrological and hydrochemical underpinnings of primary production and division of the Russian sector in the Gdansk basin of the Baltic sea

Океанология ◽

10.31857/s0030-157459156-71 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 56-71

Author(s):

E. A. Kudryavtseva ◽

S. V. Aleksandrov

Keyword(s):

Primary Production ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Bottom Topography ◽

Water Area ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Environment Temperature ◽

Russian Sector ◽

The Baltic

The distribution patterns of absolute and specific values of primary production in the upper 10-m layer depending on the physical and chemical condition of the marine environment (temperature, salinity, depth, bottom topography and configuration of the coastline, and nutrient concentrations) were distinguished in the Russian sector in the Gdansk Basin of the Baltic Sea based on long-term research data (2003–2015). Based on the results, the considered water area was divided into five regions: Cape Taran, the base of the Curonian Spit, the plateau of Rybachy, the open sea, and the Gdansk Bay (northeastern part). These regions are characterized by higher correlations of primary production and parameters of the marine environment compared to regression analysis for the regions distinguished by bathymetry. Primary production is the most closely correlated with temperature over the entire water area and with nutrients concentrations in seaward regions.

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Development of marine landscape maps for the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat using geophysical and hydrographical parameters

Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin ◽

10.34194/geusb.v13.4977 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 61-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Zyad K. Al-Hamdani ◽

Johnny Reker ◽

Jørgen O. Leth ◽

Anu Reijonen ◽

Aarno T. Kotilainen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Biological Information ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

The European Union ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

The Baltic ◽

Bothnian Bay

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish water bodies in the world (Segerstråle 1957) with a number of basins varying from almost fresh water in the northern part of the Bothnian Bay via the more brackish conditions in the southern part to the saline waters of the Kattegat. The Baltic Sea is subject to severe environmental degradation caused by commercial and leisure activities, including fisheries, dredging, tourism, coas t a l development and land-based pollution sources. This causes severe pressures on vulnerable marine habitats and natural re- sources, and a tool for aiding marine management is therefore strongly needed. The marine landscape concept presented by Roff &Taylor (2000) is based on the use of available broad-scale geological, physical and hydrographical data to prepare ecologically meaningful maps for areas with little or no biological information. The concept, which was elaborated by Day & Roff (2000) was applied in UK waters (Connor et al. 2006) before it was adopted by the BALANCE project described here. The aim of developing marine landscape maps is to characterise the marine environment of the Baltic Sea region (the Baltic Sea together with the Kattegat) using geophysical and hydrographical parameters. Such maps can be applied, for example, to an assessment of the Baltic-wide network of marine protected areas, and thus provide a sustainable ecosystem-based approach to the protection of the marine environment from human activities, and contribute to the conservation of marine biodiversity. The BALANCE project is based on transnational and cross-sectoral co-operation with participants from nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea as well as Norway (Fig. 1), and is partially financed by the European Union through the BSR INTERREG IIIB programme.

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