75
advising on environmental issues; four) from Poland , Sweden , Lithuania , Finland
and Belgium. The interviews followed an analytical framework covering the broad
topics of the IAS framing (defi nitions used, IAS impact on the environment and
humans, etc.), regulatory frameworks, risk assessment and management, processes
of communication, scientifi c uncertainty and disagreement as well as information
relating to the role of the respondents’ institutions and their responsibilities. A thematic analysis of data was subsequently performed, where emphasis was placed on
qualitative meanings as opposed to quantifying data. Furthermore, these fi ndings
were supplemented by participatory observations made during relevant conferences, workshops and meetings.
The chapter is organised as follows: Sect. 4.2 describes the concept of alien species and invasiveness and discusses the consequences of introducing such species in
the Baltic Sea region. Section 4.3 discusses uncertainty in risk assessment as the
main challenge for IAS management. Section 4.4 presents the main legal frameworks related to bioinvasions. Section 4.5 focuses on the framing and implementation of EAM . Section 4.6 presents conclusions and recommendations pertaining to
IAS management.
4.2 Framing of the Problem
There are a number of defi nitions of alien species , invasive species and invasive
alien species. If not stated otherwise, within this chapter we concentrate on IAS. The
most common defi nition of IAS is the one proposed by the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD; COP 6 Decision VI/23
2
), namely, ‘alien species whose introduction and spread threatens ecosystems, habitats or species with economic or environmental harm’. The process of IAS invasion is referred to as bioinvasion (or biological
invasion). There are several routes to IAS introduction, both natural and man-made,
but ballast waters used in maritime transportation are currently seen as the main
source of the problem because of the fact that maritime transportation has increased
enormously not only worldwide but also in the Baltic Sea region (HELCOM 2009a ,
b ; Olenin et al. 2010 ). Within the Baltic Sea, despite its relatively small size, ship
traffi c is one of the densest in the world, both in terms of ship numbers and tonnage.
Based on information from the HELCOM AIS (Automatic Identifi cation System)
database, more than 50,000 vessels cross the Danish straits per year, and at any
time, approximately 2,000 vessels can be found in the Baltic Sea.
3 Therefore,
according to the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG Mare
2012 ), the Baltic Sea is one of the sea basins with the greatest environmental pressure due to shipping activities.
Globally, IAS is considered to be one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity , entailing both direct and indirect consequences for ecosystems with various
2 http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=7197
3 http://www.helcom.fi /press_offi ce/news_helcom/en_GB/Ship_traffi c_stat/
4 Biological Invasions: A Case Study of Baltic Sea Environmental Governance
advising on environmental issues; four) from Poland , Sweden , Lithuania , Finland
and Belgium. The interviews followed an analytical framework covering the broad
topics of the IAS framing (defi nitions used, IAS impact on the environment and
humans, etc.), regulatory frameworks, risk assessment and management, processes
of communication, scientifi c uncertainty and disagreement as well as information
relating to the role of the respondents’ institutions and their responsibilities. A thematic analysis of data was subsequently performed, where emphasis was placed on
qualitative meanings as opposed to quantifying data. Furthermore, these fi ndings
were supplemented by participatory observations made during relevant conferences, workshops and meetings.
The chapter is organised as follows: Sect. 4.2 describes the concept of alien species and invasiveness and discusses the consequences of introducing such species in
the Baltic Sea region. Section 4.3 discusses uncertainty in risk assessment as the
main challenge for IAS management. Section 4.4 presents the main legal frameworks related to bioinvasions. Section 4.5 focuses on the framing and implementation of EAM . Section 4.6 presents conclusions and recommendations pertaining to
IAS management.
4.2 Framing of the Problem
There are a number of defi nitions of alien species , invasive species and invasive
alien species. If not stated otherwise, within this chapter we concentrate on IAS. The
most common defi nition of IAS is the one proposed by the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD; COP 6 Decision VI/23
2
), namely, ‘alien species whose introduction and spread threatens ecosystems, habitats or species with economic or environmental harm’. The process of IAS invasion is referred to as bioinvasion (or biological
invasion). There are several routes to IAS introduction, both natural and man-made,
but ballast waters used in maritime transportation are currently seen as the main
source of the problem because of the fact that maritime transportation has increased
enormously not only worldwide but also in the Baltic Sea region (HELCOM 2009a ,
b ; Olenin et al. 2010 ). Within the Baltic Sea, despite its relatively small size, ship
traffi c is one of the densest in the world, both in terms of ship numbers and tonnage.
Based on information from the HELCOM AIS (Automatic Identifi cation System)
database, more than 50,000 vessels cross the Danish straits per year, and at any
time, approximately 2,000 vessels can be found in the Baltic Sea.
3 Therefore,
according to the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG Mare
2012 ), the Baltic Sea is one of the sea basins with the greatest environmental pressure due to shipping activities.
Globally, IAS is considered to be one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity , entailing both direct and indirect consequences for ecosystems with various
2 http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=7197
3 http://www.helcom.fi /press_offi ce/news_helcom/en_GB/Ship_traffi c_stat/
4 Biological Invasions: A Case Study of Baltic Sea Environmental Governance