Area:  Total: 337,030 sq km  Land: 305,470 sq km Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)  Population: 5,158,372 (July 1999 est.) Source: CIA Worldfact Book (1999)

Finland   Basic Data Contacts CSD Data Other Links Country Contacts Ministry of the Environment Finnish Environment Institute Ministry of Transport and Communications Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry     (Source:  CIA World Factbook 1999)     OCEANS AND COASTAL AREAS Many thanks to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the source of the following information. The information was taken from Finland's submission to the 5th and 7th Sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (last update: November 1998). For further information on Finland's social and economic factors, natural resources, and institutional structures see the United Nations System-Wide Web Site on National Implementation of the Rio Commitments National Information for Finland at:  http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/finland/index.htm   Integrated Decision-Making  Finland signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 198 and ratified it in 1996. The Ministry of the Environment, Land Use Department, is the responsible body for integrated coastal zone management and sustainable development. The Ministry of the Environment is also responsible for issues related to marine environment protection in general. However, the Finnish Maritime Administration, which belongs to the administration of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, is responsible for issues related to shipping, and the Finnish Environment Institute is the responsible body for combatting oil and chemical spills. Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible for matters related to fishing and game (birds, seals etc.).  Coordination is undertaken by the Advisory Board for the Marine Environment, which works in connection with the Ministry of the Environment to find common understanding in marine environment matters. Members of the Board are nominated by the Council of State for a period of three years. The Board gives advice to the authorities in matters related to marine environment, mostly in the context of international cooperation. The Board has members from some Ministries, Central Associations for different sectors and nature protection organisations of relevance to marine protection matters. In the past it had stronger influence in decision-making, but nowadays its role is mostly informative.  The National Policy on Oceans is part of the National Sustainable Development Strategy. Master planning in shore zones has proved to be a feasible approach to implementing the Shore Conservation Programme ratified by the Council of State in 1990. In recent years it has become an increasingly common practice to draft master shore plans. The Ministry of the Environment endorses the drafting of master shore plans, and nearly 100 master plans incorporated in the Shore Conservation Programme have already been completed or are in the process of being drafted.  The Council of State decided upon a Decision-in-Principle on goals of Water Protection Programme to 2005 in March 1998. The main goals of the Programme are reduction and prevention of eutrophication which are fundamental in the planning and supervision of water protection and the related decision-making. The general goal of water protection is to prevent further deterioration in the state of the Baltic Sea and inland waters caused by human activities and to improve the condition of those watercourses that have already been contaminated. The quality and quantity of ground water must in general be maintained at least at the present level and improved in locations where the quality has been weakened by human activities. The protection of waters is based on the Polluter-pays Principle.  The legislative principles for the use and protection of shore zones were laid down in conjunction with the amendment of the Nature Conservation Act. In accordance with the amendment of the Building Act 1997, it is now prohibited to erect new buildings in any shore zone, marine or otherwise, without a ratified master plan or a detailed site plan for new construction.  The Water Act 1961 and its amendments and the Act on the Prevention of Marine Pollution 1994 contain important provisions on the protection of aquatic habitats. The latter also includes regulations laid down in the Conventions for the Protection of the Baltic Sea as well as North East Atlantic  The following economic incentives have been introduced for marine environmental protection: a municipal waste water charge, a water protection charge, an oil pollution fee, a compulsory waste reception fee for ships calling at Finnish ports irrespective of the amount of garbage received, and a CO2/energy tax on fossil fuels. Prior assessment is mandatory for activities with impact on the marine and coastal environment.  Status  Major population centres in the coastal area include the City of Helsinki and its surroundings and the Town of Turku and its surroundings. There are several summer houses and holiday homes on shoreline, and boating is also popular in Finland in the summer.  Mining occurs along the shoreline in the form of extration of sand gravel and dredging. In addition, several industrial plants are located in coastal areas. Nowadays the best available technology is used in treatment of their waste waters, and therefore their discharges of harmful substances have mostly been reduced. The main pollution sources are diffuse sources such as agriculture, forestry and traffic.  Commercial fishing contributes to 0.2 % of the gross national product (GNP). The value of the total catch was 117 million FIM in 1995 (1 USD is about 5 FIM).  Eutrophication is the most urgent problem in the protection of Finnish waters. In marine areas, eutrophication is worst in the Gulf of Finland; in the Archipelago Sea, around the islands of the Quark and the northeastern part of the Gulf of Bothnia, there is also evidence of increasing levels of eutrophication. The high incidences of blue-green algae in inland waters and the Baltic Sea in summer 1997 were an indication that the waters are slowly becoming more eutrophic as a result of constant nutrient load and the release of nutrients deposited in the bottom sediment. Shipping is one of the major sources of sea-based pollution of the marine environment. Airborne pollution also has an important role in the marine environment. Oil spills (illegal or accidental), SOx and NOx emissions as well as emissions of volatile organic compounds from vessels, environmental noise, discharges of waste water (untreated sewage should be brought ashore according to the Convention for the protection of the Baltic Sea, i.e. Helsinki Convention), illegal discharges of garbage (dumping of waste is prohibited in the Helsinki Convention) and organisms in the ballast water -- these all may have harmful effects on coastal zones as well as to the biodiversity of the marine areas. Even though harmful substances are not allowed to be discharged from vessels to the Baltic Sea, illegal discharges still happen. The Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention try to prevent these illegal discharges.  Information  The following are some useful internet addresses for obtaining information about the Baltic Sea:  HELCOM: http://www.helcom.fi  Ballerina: http://www.baltic-region.net/index.htm  Baltic Sea Algaline: http://www2.fimr.fi/algaline/index.htm  Baltic 21 network: http://www.ee/baltic21/ Baltic Marine Environment Bibliography and Database: http://otatrip.hut.fi/vtt/baltic/intro.html  A national set of indicators on sustainable development is being developed. A proposal for indicators will be finalized by the end of 1998. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foresty is developing a set of indicators on the use of renewable natural resources.  Finland participates in the development of socio-economic and environmental indicators in systematic observation systems in clearing houses and in the Global Ocean Observing System. The Government does not participate in mussel watch programmes.  Existing data adequately cover habitats, protected areas, marine degradation caused by land- and sea-based activities, estuaries, wetlands, sea grass beds and other spawning and nursery areas in coastal zones. Since the 1970's, frequent comprehensive assessments of the state of and changes in the environment of coastal and marine areas have been carried out.  Financing  Financing is provided mainly through the national budget.  Cooperation  Finland participates in the following Multilateral Agreements:    Convention for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 1964 and Protocol  International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 1973 and Protocol 1978 and their amendments  Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea area 1974 and 1992 and its amendments  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)  1982 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes 1992      Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) 1992  Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) 1980  Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources in the Baltic Sea amd tje Belts 1993  Through its membership in the European Union, Finland is also a member of the Baltic Sea Fishery Commission.  Finland also participates in two Bilateral Agreements:  Agreement between the Government of Finland and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in the field of environmental protection 1992;  Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Finland and the Government of the Republic of Estonia on cooperation on water protection 1994.  Finland took part in establishing a programme for sustainable development for the Baltic Sea Area (i.e. Baltic Agenda 21).  Finland cooperates at the international level in addressing the prevention, reduction and control of the degradation of the marine environment from land- and sea-based activities, and it gives high priority to regional and subregional cooperation and cooperates intensively in marine environment approaches at the global level.    Other Links Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR)