In August, the project partners in the Interreg Aurora funded project HIDDEN met in Västerbotten to learn more about the estuary typical species both underwater and on land together with experts from the local Botanical association, Västerbotten Botaniska Förening (VBF).
VBF shared invaluable expert knowledge about the underwater vegetation (especially Potamogeton hybrids) as well as shoreline vegetation. The project team had a wonderful day in the Sävarån estuary with a great weather. Photo: Anniina Saarinen/ County Administrative Board of Västerbotten
In addition, the project group from from County Administrative Board of Västerbotten and Norrbotten as well as from Economic Development Centre of Northern Finland and Southern Finland visited another estuary in Västerbotten (Västerfjärden estuary) and worked together with vegetation mapping and species identification.
HIDDEN project group stayed late in the lab at County Administrative Board of Västerbotten trying to identify some tricky species. Photo: Anniina Saarinen/ County Administrative Board of Västerbotten
The HIDDEN project group also discussed about the human pressures they had seen in estuaries during the first field season and how these should be integrated in the human pressure protocol that is one of the end results in the project.
The inventories done by the project have already reviled a lot of tracks of human activities under water in estuaries. A common sight is for example timber from the log driving era (timmerflottning) as well as invasive Elodea species.
One of the human pressures that can only be reviled when looking under the surface is the invasive underwater plant species such as Elodea canadensis that was growing next to the Sagittaria natans x sagittifolia in Västerfjärden estuary. Photo: Anniina Saarinen/ County Administrative Board of Västerbotten
Learn more about the project HIDDEN
