WGIAB was setup in 2007 as a forum for developing and combining ecosystem-based management efforts for the Baltic Sea. The 2012 meeting of WGIAB is held back-to-back with WGINOSE (WG on Integrated Assessment in the North Sea). During the meeting, the group will will discuss future research, including work to:a )    Continue the Integrated Status and Trends Assessments for the different Baltic Sea subsystems, including biodiversity aspects, and applying early-warning methods on key indicators of these subsystems;b )    Further develop the “Biological Ensemble Modelling Approach (BEMA)" as a basis for analysing anthropogenic and natural impacts on ecosystem structure and function, by applying it on available multispecies and foodweb models; c )    Further develop and promote ecosystem-based advice for Baltic Sea fish stocks based on the Integrated Status and Trends Assessments and indicators of recruitment environments and functions of Baltic Sea fish stocks, and provide these to the WGBFAS;d )   Enhance understanding of ecosystem processes in the Baltic Sea subsystems by analysing temporal and spatial functional relationships in foodwebs;e )    Further develop an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment cycle for the Baltic Sea and in close cooperation with other integrated assessment activities within ICES (e.g. WGNARS, WGEAWESS, WGINOSE) and HELCOM, as well as accounting for results from ongoing research projects.Focus of the meetingThe meeting will focus on the following three things: (i) Performing comparative Integrated Trend Analyses (ITA) of coastal and off shore ecosystems across the Baltic Sea (a in the list above). (ii) Developing statistical methods to improve process understanding of food-webs in the Baltic Sea basins, and to identify early warning signals and management target levels, by applying the methods to real basin-specific data sets. ( a and d)(iii) Discussing and reviewing available tools supporting the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Framework (e.g. ITA, BEMA, dynamic models, decision support tools), and applying these in a practical exercise to simulate an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) cycle in the Baltic Sea (b, c and e)In addition, sessions about modelling approaches supporting the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment framework, decision support tools, and relationships between WGIAB work and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will be held.VenueThe meeting takes place at the Baltic Nest Institute in Stockholm. Information about how you find BNI is found here.The meeting will start at 13.00 on Monday 26th of March, and last until lunch on Friday 30th.

Thorsten Blenckner of BNI have been invited to take part in an exclusive workshop 3-days expert meeting organized by Network-Forum for Biodiversity Research Germany (NeFo) and Diversitas International. During the meeting scientists of different ecological disciplines will have the opportunity to exchange their knowledge and discuss ideas on the occurrence, prediction and mitigation of "tipping points" in ecosystems.Aim of the workshopIssues covered by the workshop include:Phenomena that may serve as indicators for imminent tipping pointsOptions / requirements for monitoring these indicatorsImplications of tipping point dynamics for management and restorationPotential relevance of tipping points for the program of work of IPBES

The third Meeting of the HELCOM Expert Group on follow-up of national progress towards reaching BSAP nutrient reduction targets (HELCOM LOAD) will be held at the Baltic Nest Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, 27-29 February 2012.5th Baltic Sea Pollution Load Compilation (PLC-5)HELCOM regularly produces a Pollution Load Compilation which assesses the data collected by HELCOM members on total waterborne loads of nutrients and some hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea. The Fifth Baltic Sea Pollution Load Compilation (PLC-5) contains data on inputs of contaminants to the Baltic Sea for the period of 2000-2006, with additional data on total waterborne nutrient inputs till 2008.

Save a third for the birds- Tipping points and why seabirds depend on access to one third of the world’s fishSeabirds form an important link between human societies and marine ecosystems and are some of the best and most easily measured indicators when it comes to diagnosing the health of the world´s marine ecosystems. Seabirds prey on marine resources that are increasingly sought after in the global marketplace, with a rapidly growing demand for high value protein. In the most comprehensive study ever undertaken, an international group of scientists, including Baltin Nest Institute researcher Henrik Österblom, has shown that many seabird species decline strongly when the food available for them in the ocean declines below a third of the maximum amount recorded. Understanding how seabird species can be sustained while securing food security for a growing human population is a massive challenge, highlighting the necessity of making trade-offs between different services. This talk will describe the social-ecological role of seabirds and forage fish, using global data-sets on their interactions. The talk will investigate predator-prey relationships and critical tipping points analogous to the planetary boundaries concept and explore the potential applicability of these findings in the Anthropocene.Read moreHere you can read more about the study about how seabirds form an important link between human societies and marine ecosystems.Here you can read more about the Stockholm Seminars series

The BONUS projects ECOSUPPORT and RECOCA invites scientists and stakeholders to a conference on "An outlook to the future Baltic Sea: how can we reach the targets of the Baltic Sea Action Plan?"More informationPresentationsBelow you can download all the presentations held at the Stakeholder conference, kindly provided by the speakers.HELCOM: Visions of a healthy Baltic Sea: Gabriella Lindholm, Chair HELCOM, Swedish Ministry of the Environment , SwedenIntroduction of RECOCA and ECOSUPPORT: Christoph Humborg, Baltic Nest Institute (BNI), Stockholm University, Sweden and Markus Meier, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), SwedenHow did the Baltic Sea become eutrophic? Bo Gustafsson, BNI, Stockholm University, SwedenCosts to reduce nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea - some scenarios: Berit Hasler, BNI, National Environmental Research Institute (NERI), Aarhus University, DenmarkAgricultural hot spots of nutrient leakage in the Baltic Sea catchment: Hans Estrup Andersen, BNI, NERI, Aarhus University, DenmarkNew data from RECOCA available in the NEST data base for the Baltic Sea catchment: Christoph Humborg and Alexander Sokolov, BNI, Stockholm University, SwedenWhat science may and may not have to offer for the marine management: Jan Marcin Weslawski, Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

The RECOCA and ECOSUPPORT projects are concerned with the environmental health of the Baltic Sea, today and into the future. The projects have, with slightly different scientific focus, dealt with ecosystem-based environmental management of the Baltic Sea to combat eutrophication, ranging from abatements in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea to the resulting marine status of such abatements, now and in projected IPCC climate-change scenarios. Due to the mutual scientific interests, a joint final conference has been planned in order to share and discuss the main scientific findings of ECOSUPPORT and RECOCA. Time will also be allocated to project specific discussions and preparations of final commitments, reporting etc.

November 16-17, the conference "The Baltic Sea Region - on its way to the world’s first EcoRegion? - Success stories and future challenges" will be held in Gdynia, bringing together regional practitioners, sectoral experts and policy makers. Henrik Österblom, researcher at the Baltic Nest Institute, is invited as one of the key speakers at the conference with his presentation "The Baltic Sea Region – A model region for sustainable development?"BackgroundSince early 2009, sector networks as well as numerous regions from around the Baltic Sea have jointly worked within the project EcoRegion to improve sustainable development at a regional level. The project, led by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, is a Baltic 21 Lighthouse Project as well as a flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.AimOn 16 November 2011, the conference will bring together regional practitioners, sectoral experts and policy makers to:Present and discuss the above findingsAdopt the Gdynia Declaration with recommendations for future policy actions on sustainable developmentPromote and facilitate exchange of existing good practices in the BSRPresent the “Best EcoRegion Good Practice” awardOn 17 November 2011, all conference participants are invited to join the study tour to Hel Peninsula. Here they will have the opportunity to learn from selected regional good practices concerning sustainable development.Registration: open until October 31, 2011. Please register here.Location: Gdynia Innovation Centre, Al. Zwyciestwa 96/98, Gdynia, Poland

This event aims to ensure that the strong and transparent dialogue continues between BONUS´s forward-looking, regional research and development programme and the European community.Charged with common European values, and through the questions of interest, the event will provide examples of how Baltic Sea top science plays a role in key policy processes of relevance also to the Brussels and wider European community.Q & A panelA questions and answers panel addressing topics related to the top Baltic Sea research will convene in Brussels on 8 November 2011. The latest knowledge produced by the BONUS+ projects that are ending in 2011 will be at the centre stage. Questions are invited in advance from the European Community. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions that you would like to get answers to related to the latest Baltic Sea research.For example, why is it important to conserve the biodiversity in the Baltic Sea? What are the predictions in terms of the sea level, temperature, salinity and oxygen conditions for a 100 years from now?  How have we succeeded in untangling the effects of eutrophication and climate change in the Baltic? Will the whole Baltic Sea be dead in year 2020? And many more. Email your questions to bonus@bonuseeig.fi by 4 November 2011 and we will answer them during the event or online. From 24 October 2011 onwards, also breifings from each BONUS+ project will be available on the BONUS website summarising the key results and hopefully enticing futher questions from the EU community.Also the BONUS thematic call opening in December 2011 will be introduced and the BONUS strategic research agenda for the years 2011-2017 made available for the participants.Who should attend:  You and those members of the European community who have a stake in efforts that aim to ensure a better future for the Baltic Sea region e.g. members of the European Parliament, staff from the EU Directorate Generals dealing with marine and maritime issues and other actors who work closely with BONUS or other regional research programmes and want to learn more about the latest Baltic Sea research results. Participants will have an opportunity to:ask questions they want about the latest research related to the Baltic Sea regiongain a good insight into the 16 individual BONUS+ projects through the discussion, posters and briefingsdiscuss strategic and practical implications of the Balti Sea researchobtain information about the future research agenda and activities of BONUSWe look forward to welcoming you to the BONUS seminar in Brussels.

Since the Baltic Sea Region re-established itself 20 years ago, regional cooperation has been driven by high political and economic ambitions. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was introduced in 2009 to address key challenges and untapped potential of this large region, covering about one third of the total area of the EU. To ensure that the Strategy succeeds in taking cooperation in the Region to higher level, new ambitions and targets now need to be discussed. The place and time for this deliberation is Gdansk, the 24-26 Octobe r 2011, during the 13th Baltic Development Forum Summit and the European Commission´s 2nd Annual Forum on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, also co-organised by the Polish EU-Presidency, Pomorskie Region and the City of Gdansk.The new regional ambitions will also play into Europe´s wider ambitions for 2020 under the headline of Sustainable, Smart and Inclusive Growth. Stakeholders are invited to take an active part in the discussions that will provide input to the Polish EU-Presidency and to wider reflections on the future development of the Region. Growth strategies need close partnerships with the private sector.BONUS+ PROJECTSUp to date, some 800+ participants will attend the conference, and this event provides all BONUS+ projects with an excellent platform to present their key results to the wider stakeholder audiences.This is also an excellent opportunity to find out more about the ways BONUS supports strongly the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Regio over the course of the conference sessions.Baltic Nest Institute The Baltic Nest Institute is involved in the following BONUS projects:AMBER - Assessment and Modelling Baltic Ecosystem ResponseBaltic-C - Building predictive capability regarding the Baltic Sea organic/inorganic carbon and oxygen systemsECOSUPPORT - Advanced modeling tool for scenarios of the Baltic Sea ecosystem to support decision makingHYPER - HYPoxia mitigation for Baltic Sea Ecosystem RestorationRECOCA - Reduction of Baltic Sea Nutrient Inputs and Cost Allocation within the Baltic Sea CatchmentMore information regarding BONUS.

BONUS Forum 2011 is convened on 24 October in Gdansk, Poland and shares a mutual stakeholder platform with the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy and Baltic Development Forum conference taking place in Gdansk on 24-26 October 2011. The BONUS Forum will showcase the latest knowledge produced by the BONUS+ projects that are ending in 2011. During the panel sessions, the 16 BONUS+ project coordinators will share results on themes related to multiple risks and stressors, past and future scenarios of the Baltic Sea, eutrophication and biodiversity. What are the aims: The BONUS Forum 2011 aims to encourage and ensure that the links between the BONUS+ results and important policy processes across the region are transparent. Moreover, that the knowledge generated is used appropriately in the valuable work across different sectors in efforts to ensure a better future of the Baltic Sea region.Who should attend: Representatives of ministries across sectoral borders of the nine Baltic Sea countries — environment, transport, agriculture, forestry and science — who are dealing with marine and maritime issues.  Participants will have an opportunity to:access to the latest information and research related to the Baltic Sea regiongain a good insight to the 16 individual BONUS+ projects through presentations, posters and briefingsdiscuss strategic and practical implications and possibilities as key end-users of the new knowledgeshare ideas and practice with a network of colleagues from the nine Baltic Sea countriesobtain information about the new, competitive BONUS calls; the first call will open in December 2011attend a wine reception where the award for the best BONUS+ public engagement activity will be announcedBaltic Nest Institute BONUS projects