Information & Meetings
	Conferences & Events
	New Coastal Publications

Organisations
	Norwegian Institute searches for coastal zone research partners
	New hyperlinks to websites

Environment
	Climate change calls for innovative approaches to conservation
	Baltic Sea states discharge less nutrients and hazardous substance

Development & Trends
	New UK scheme provides green energy at no extra cost

Policy
	UNECE assesses pressures and policy responses for coastal areas

Events recently announded

Please note:
The overview of the Coastal Guide conference and event  meeting list can be found at http://www.coastalguide.org/meetings/
 

New Coastal Publications
 
 

The Caspian "The Caspian" is an e-mail bulletin about environmental issues and events related to the Caspian marine and coastal environment, as well as information about stakeholders, particularly NGOs. It can be accessed at http://www.caspianenvironment.org/ebulletin.htm

Earth Summit 2002 - briefing paper Short information about the history of the Earth Summit, objectives of Rio+10 and possible outcomes can be found at http://www.earthsummit2002.org/es/2002/Es2002.PDF

The Rio Conventions: Committing to Sustainability The aims, procedures and status of all Rio Conventions are summarised on http://www.earthsummit2002.org/es/issues/Conventions/rio_conventions.htm

Norwegian Institute searches for coastal zone research partners

The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NINA (http://www.ninaniku.no) is searching for partners who may be interested in network building, co-operation and international fund raising for projects on terrain modelling, marine habitat identification and classification and the use of landscape ecology approaches in the marine and coastal environment. NINA has experience in the use of terrain modelling, landscape analysis, habitat classification, GIS applications, marine ecology, biodiversity and habitat, population and behavioural ecology. Please contact Dr. Trine Bekkby at trine.bekkby@ninaosl.ninaniku.no

New hyperlinks

LanceWad A cross-boundary project to map the landscape and cultural heritage of the Wadden Sea Region
In English http://cwss.www.de/lancewad/Leaflet/leaflet1.htm
In German: http://www.lancewad.de
In Dutch: http://www.waddenzee.nl/lancewad/

Oceans Blue Foundation
A Canadian environmental charity that was created in 1996 to help conserve coastal environments through environmentally responsible tourism. http://www.oceansblue.org/

Check out the other Website Links on the Coastal Guide

Climate change calls for innovative approaches to conservation

A new study 'Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife' published by English Nature, WWF-UK, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, predicts increasing difficulties in maintaining rare species and habitats in conservation areas due to climate change. Species and habitats under protection today may be influenced by a changing climate tomorrow. It will therefore be necessary to encourage the development of integrated and connected systems of protected areas to allow movement as conditions change. The study also points out that "we may need to develop more innovative approaches to mitigate the impacts in certain areas. As sea levels inundate coastal lowlands, the concept of managed retreat may be an option in many areas, maintaining areas of coastal marshes at far lower costs than maintaining hard sea defences". Coral bleaching and the possible extinction of the Golden Toad are a couple of negative examples for the impacts of climate change. But not every impact is negative: the Caribou for example might benefit from a warming climate. However, due to the complex web of interactions between species, it is difficult to predict the beneficiaries and the victims of climate change. Although there are international policies to reduce greenhouse gases in the long-term, it is not enough since many impacts will occur in a much shorter time. More information on: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/climate/climatebook/Introduction.htm
 

Baltic Sea states discharge less nutrients and hazardous substances

In all Baltic Sea countries, emissions and discharges of nutrients and the discharges, emissions, and losses of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea have been reduced since 1987, according to a report accepted by the Helsinki Commission last week. In most countries the 50% reduction target has been achieved for phosphorus coming from point sources such as municipalities and industries. However, the target was not reached for phosphorus coming from diffuse sources like agriculture. Here, reductions reached around 20%. For nitrogen, too, the measures fell short of their aims. In total, nitrogen was only cut down by approximately 35%. Within the past 13 years, the emissions of certain hazardous substances have been mastered by legal means as well as new production processes and retention systems. The use of leaded gasoline, for instance, has significantly decreased or even phased out by now in all countries bordering on the Baltic Sea. The report, which investigated discharges and losses of nitrogen and phosphorus, and 72 selected hazardous substances from 1987 to 1995 with regard to the 50% reduction goal, is now available at http://www.helcom.fi/ (select "publications"). The report also includes national programmes from eight HELCOM Contracting Parties on how to further reduce the nutrient load to the Baltic Sea. Press releases at: http://www.helcom.fi/ (select "press info").

New UK scheme provides green energy at no extra cost

The environmentally friendly energy scheme "Juice" was launched in the UK by Greenpeace and the national energy supplier npower. It provides domestic customers with clean energy at no extra costs. The target is to supply 50,000 customers with energy from onshore wind farms and a hydropower plant in Snowdonia and a new offshore wind farm, North Hoyle Offshore from 2003 onwards. It will provide 60-90 megawatts of energy, saving about 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Npower claims that Juice offers an easy way for customers to do their part for a better environment. For more information on Juice see: http://www.npower.com/html/juicelaunch_4490.htm and http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?SiteKeyParam=CLIMATEREN21

 UNECE assesses pressures and policy responses for coastal areas

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has published its "Assessment of Progress in Sustainable Development since Rio 1992". It contains a chapter on marine and coastal areas and is prepared for the Regional Meeting for the World Summit on sustainable development in Geneva from 24 to 25 September as an important step towards the Rio+10 Earth Summit in 2002. The document defines the most important issues of concern in the coastal and marine environment: fast growing tourism, aquaculture, fishing, oil drilling, pollution through industrial waste, shipping, coastal erosion and continuing urbanisation. The policy response from UNECE countries receives a mixed rating. "States have accepted the need to widen the focus of activities from these sectoral approaches to the much broader context of integrated coastal zone management and sustainable development" the report remarks, but also states that ICZM is rarely being implemented. Nitrate concentrations in coastal waters fell overall in HELCOM and OSPAR regions with some local exceptions. Most coastal waters show little change in phosphate concentrations. It is difficult for Helcom to monitor the extent to which member states follow its recommendations because there are no provisions for enforcement, according to UNECE. The situation is naturally even more difficult in the regions with many countries in transition, such as the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The chapter concludes with an appeal for a more integrated approach on the national level. The report can be downloaded from http://www.unece.org/env/rio+10/welcome.html (click on "regional assessment report").

Deadline for submitting contributions to Coastal Guide News No 18: 19 September, 2001

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) with financial support of Stichting DOEN, the foundation of the Dutch lottery "Postcode Loterij" and the Department of International Nature Affairs of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. For free subscriptions, comments or contributions to this newsletter, please contact news@coastalguide.org. 

Members of the Coastal Guide News editorial team: Hanna-Maria Baerlund, Erik Devilee, Irene Lucius, Hanneke Mesters, Albert Salman.
 

Established in 1989, the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) is an association involving the largest coastal network in Europe with 750 members and member organisations in 40 countries. For more information please contact EUCC International Secretariat, POB 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl
 

© European Union for Coastal Conservation