An estuary is a place where a river meets the sea. The estuaries of the Gulf of Bothnia are ecosystems with unique mixtures of marine and freshwater species. They are important for underwater vegetation, fish recruitment and many bird species and have the potential to contribute significantly to blue carbon.
The coast and particularly its estuaries face anthropogenic pressures such as runoff from agriculture, forestry and other industries, as well as physical constructions or alterations. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the natural values in our estuaries, which hinders effective management of these extensive and ecologically important areas. To fulfill the EU goals and directives, we need more knowledge to target the most strategically important areas for protection and restoration.
The Interreg Aurora funded project HIDDEN will provide in-depth knowledge of ecology, geology, biodiversity, and natural values that can be used in the practical management of estuarine areas, including nature protection, marine restoration and fisheries management. Communication and dialogue with stakeholders will offer an additional perspective and help finding tools for protection and restoration. The project is co-funded by Lapin liitto and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.
The project aims to build an increased knowledge base of estuaries with products such as:
- various abiotic habitat and substrate maps
- species distribution, biodiversity and disturbance hotspot maps
- environmental toxin assessment
- sediment transport and carbon storage estimates
- identified protection and restoration hotspots and toolboxes for measures in estuarine environments
Contact:
Linnea Bergdahl, project manager, Länsstyrelsen i Norrbottens län, linnea.bergdahl@lansstyrelsen.se
Anders Wallin, project manager, Länsstyrelsen i Norrbottens län, anders.c.wallin@lansstyrelsen.se
