The complex of threats against the Baltic Sea is a challenge to science and the political decision making apparatus. How is it possible, in actual fact, to manage the environmental problems in the Baltic?
Through a combination of social scientific and natural scientific perspectives, researchers in the project RISKGOV intend to analyse structures and processes for the management of environmental risks around the Baltic. Another of the principal objectives of the project is to propose improvements so as to reduce the risks in the long term.
Despite decades of efforts by players at both local, national, international and regional levels, the environmental problems in and around the Baltic Sea remain very serious.
Combined efforts
The Helsinki Convention (which comprises all coastal states and came into force in 1980) and the Helsinki Commission, Helcom, which will monitor that the Convention is observed and will drive the practical work, were instituted as protection for the marine environment of the Baltic Region. With the exception of a few encouraging signs (such as reduced contents of DDT and PCB), however, the Baltic is still a sea characterised by grave environmental problems and risks. Both public opinion and politicians and researchers agree that strong measures must be taken to save the Baltic Sea, but the question is by what means this is to be done. It is certain that what is required are inputs and involvement by a number of different players at many different levels.
With reference to e.g. the Helcom Baltic Sea Action Plan, the researchers in the project RISKGOV stress that what is needed is an integrated ecosystem based management and new forms of governance that extends beyond the traditional political decision making routes and includes more levels and different types of players. The need for interaction between science and decision making is also emphasised.
Five environmental risks are compared
Discussions of ecosystem based management of the Baltic Sea have been in progress for some time but this has not yet been introduced. The objective of RISKGOV, in the light of this, is to increase understanding of the structures and processes which shape the management of environmental risks and to propose improvements in these.
This objective will be achieved through a comparative case study of five strategically selected environmental risks in the Baltic: eutrophication, overfishing, decrease in biodiversity, toxic chemicals and marine transport. These five risks have been chosen against the background that every one of these has a large part to play in the wellbeing of the Baltic Sea, and that they represent different types of environmental risk.
Management, risk and communication
These cases are analysed with reference to three overarching groups of issues:
- Management structure and governance
- Risk assessment and risk management
- Communication among the players.
The project includes issues concerning the assessment and management of the risks, as well as causes, consequences and possible countermeasures. In contrast to many other studies, RISKGOV focuses on collective management of large scale environmental risks at intergovernmental and international levels in the Baltic Region.
Theoretically, the project is based on the concept governance that describes the structures and processes for collective decision making which involves both governmental and non-governmental players, as well as players at various levels (local, regional, national, international). This concept has in recent times been increasingly used in conjunction with decision making with regard to environmental issues (Environmental Governance).
The researchers in the RISKGOV project consider, however, that these social scientific concepts should be combined with the more natural scientific approach to ecosystem management (Ecosystem Approach to Management) in order to achieve the best results. The way risks are described and communicated also affects the conception of the players as to what are causes and possible solutions, and also the degree of participation and involvement. In the light of this, risk communication is also an important concept in the project's analyses of how environmental risks are managed.
RISKGOV
Environmental Risk Governance of the Baltic Sea. RISKGOV is part of the Bonus Project (Baltic Organisations Network for Funding Science, EEIG) which is part of the Seventh Framework Programme of EU and is one of the ERA projects in which Formas is involved. RISKGOV also receives funding from the Baltic Sea Foundation.
Apart from the Swedish project team that is based at Södertörn University College, researchers from Finland (Åbo Academy, Åbo), Germany (DIALOGIK, Stuttgart) and Poland (Gdansk University, Gdansk) also participate in the project.
Collaboration is a key element of the RISKGOV project. Some of the activities planned for the period 2009-2001 are: a conference on uncertainty and risks in the Baltic Region, Coping with Uncertainty, in Stockholm, 16-17 November 2009, three round table discussions in 2010-2011, a report addressed to decision makers in 2011, and a final conference in 2011.
Author
:
Anna Maria Jönsson
is Associate Professor in Media and Communication Science at Södertörn University College and is one of the researchers in the project RISKGOV
Michael Gilek
is Associate Professor in Ecology at Södertörn University College and coordinator for the project RISKGOV
Björn Hassler
is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Södertörn University College and one of the researchers in the project RISKGOV
Literature:
Cox, R. (2006) Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere. SAGE Publications Ltd, London
Joas, M., Jahn, D., Kern, K. (2008) Governing a Common Sea: Environmental Policies in the Baltic Sea Region.
Renn, O. (2008) Risk Governance: Coping with Uncertainty in a Complex World. Earthscan, London
Söderström S.; Kern, K.; Boström M. och Gilek M. (kommande 2009) 'Environmental Governance' and 'Ecosystem Management': Avenues for Synergies between two Separate Approaches.