HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Programme 2014 - 2020 Estonia - Russia ENI CBC

Date of latest update: 2024-01-24

Description

Description (EN):

The Gulf of Finland (GoF) suffers from a multitude of cross-border stressors generated by different kind of human activities. The project addresses the “common challenges in environment, public health, safety and security” and its thematic objective TO6 “Environmental protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation”. Countries surrounding the GoF have a common goal to protect its environment and to support the measures defined or taken to mitigate the harmful effects caused by human activity. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and its Action Plan requires cooperative efforts on the transposition of EU Directives and defines the MSFD as the strategic, horizontal action. Implementation of MSFD in the EU Member States in the Baltic Sea area is not yet achieved within all descriptors – e.g. there is still a need for determination of good environmental status (GES) boundaries regarding harmful and emerging substances, and establish and implement relevant monitoring programs. The overall objective of the project is adaptation and implementation of uniform biological indicators for assessment and control of environmental quality in the eastern GoF. The development and harmonisation of marine monitoring and environmental status assessment between countries sharing the same sub-regions are essential. In particular, the exchange of information regarding the evaluation of pressures, joint attempts to fill in gaps regarding GES descriptors and boundaries, joint development of monitoring programs are needed. The proposed project is directly linked to the ongoing work in HELCOM and is the national (Estonian and Russian) and sub-regional (GoF) contribution rather than duplication regard to the assessment of the impact of harmful substances. The knowledge obtained in the frame of different previous independent and collaborative initiatives in the Baltic Sea region will be acknowledged and assessed/adapted for eastern GoF area. The main outputs of the project are the standard approach and strategies for transnational monitoring and assessment of emerging chemicals and harmful substances (HS) and their effects in the programme area and whole GoF. In particular: i) development and validation of techniques for monitoring impacts of selected HS on GoF benthic organisms; ii) compilation of pressure and impact maps based on modelling of the potential distribution of HS from different sources in the project area; iii) development of recommendations for regional (GoF) monitoring programme. The primary project beneficiaries are the environmental organisations at national (e.g. Ministry of Environment, National Environmental Boards), pan-Baltic and European levels (e.g., HELCOM), national political decision-makers (e.g. government commissions), administration bodies responsible for dealing with HS, Environmental NGOs, and last but not least, the public (through awareness raising). The main end-users of the project include private companies (such as wastewater and garbage disposal operators, ship operators, tourism operators, etc.) and municipalities (responsible for implementation of environmental policies at the local level). Activities include: i) the compilation of available data in Russia and Estonia and collection of additional data from hotspot areas in regard to the HS to evaluate the status of the GoF environment and assess the potential impact on the benthic organisms; ii) the study of priority substances included in the HELCOM Core Indicators list and pharmaceuticals considering their presence in the marine environment and estimating their impact on the biological processes of the key species of the eastern GoF; iii) modelling of the potential distribution of HS from different sources; iv) selection of most sensitive indicator species and biomarkers to develop the recommendations for regional (GoF) monitoring programme. The close cooperation of countries and institutions surrounding the eastern GoF will secure profound and uniform status and impact assessment results for the area and, in turn, contributes to the Baltic-wide MSFD implementation activities. Hence, the project contributes to policy-driven and solution-oriented cross-border studies for the protection of the GoF.

Website: http://www.estoniarussia.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Increased awareness in environmental protection and energy efficiency among inhabitants and institutions in the Programme area

Expected Outputs (EN):

Monitoring of biological effects of HS is, to a large extent, lacking in the whole Baltic Sea region. During the project, the reliable assessment of the effect of selected HS in the Eastern GoF environment on biota will be compiled. Project results will give up to date information on ecosystem health in Estonian and Russian coastal and offshore areas of the Eastern GoF, mainly in cross-border regions and hotspots (ports and wastewater discharge areas in the Eastern GoF) with high anthropogenic impacts. Model simulations will result in the mapping of potential accumulation areas of HS from various sources in the project area. The assessment using the uniform approach and methodologies will give the comparable knowledge about the level of contamination and helps to detect most polluted attention required areas in the joint water. Received data and the better understanding of the response of the aquatic organisms on different pollution levels is valuable for update and implementation of existing regulations related to protection and sustainable management of coastal areas, and will significantly contribute to working out uniform and more efficient protection methodologies to be used in the GoF area. Also, the combination of biological methods (crustaceans, molluscs) with physical and chemical control will supplement existing monitoring methods with new cost-effective biological screening methods for national environmental quality assessment of Estonia and Russia.

Thematic information

Managing natural and man-made threats, risk management Sustainable management of natural resources

Thematic Objective: Environmental protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation

Partners (3)

Lead Partner: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Department: Marine Systems Institute

Address: Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ttu.ee

Total budget: EUR 214 700.00

ENI budget: EUR 193 230.00

Санкт-Петербургский научно-исследовательский центр экологической безопасности Российской академии наук – обособленное структурное подразделение Федерального государственного бюджетного учреждения науки «Санкт-Петербургский Федеральный исследовательский центр Российской академии наук»

Name: Санкт-Петербургский научно-исследовательский центр экологической безопасности Российской академии наук – обособленное структурное подразделение Федерального государственного бюджетного учреждения науки «Санкт-Петербургский Федеральный исследовательский центр Российской академии наук»

Department: Laboratory of bioelectronic methods of geoecological monitoring

Address: Korpusnaya 18, 197110 St Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ecosafety-spb.ru/

Total budget: EUR 152 000.00

ENI budget: EUR 136 800.00

Федеральное Государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Зоологический институт Российской академии наук

Name: Федеральное Государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Зоологический институт Российской академии наук

Department: Freshwater and experimental hydrobiology

Address: Universitetskaya 1, 199034 Sankt-Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.zin.ru/

Total budget: EUR 102 600.00

ENI budget: EUR 92 340.00

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Partners and Projects info

Scientific-Research Centre for Ecological Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences

HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Partners and Projects info

Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Partners and Projects info

Tallinn University of Technology

HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Project acronym: HAZLESS

Project start date: 2019-04-01

Project end date: 2022-08-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 469 300.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 422 370.00

Co-financing sources:

ENPI/ENI/NDICI: Amount, EUR 422 370.00.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 Estonia - Russia ENI CBC

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-01-24

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

71 / 71 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

182 / 182 (100%)

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HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland – concentrations and impact assESSment

Description

Thematic information

Partners (3)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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