CHAPTER 19 • Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Sweden
371
the past few decades in many c.oastal waters ar.ound the w.orld. S.ome .of these species
.of algae pr.oduce t.oxins. T.oxic algae bl.o.oms as such are n.othing new. H.owever, the problem has been exacerbated and is n.ow giving rise t.o seri.ous c.oncern (ICES 1992;
cf. F.olke et al. 1994; Gren 1993; F.olke and Kautsky 1992).
The .occurrence.of excepti.onal cyan.obacterial bl.o.oms in the Baltic during the summer .of 1997 and the unusually severe .oxygen deficiency al.ong much .of the Swedish
west c.oast during the winter .of 1997/98 indicate the imp.ortance .of the eutrophicati.on
issue f.or Sweden. The media attenti.on was c.onsiderable in b.oth cases. The g.overnmental
rep.ort "Nitr.ogen fr.om land t.o sea" (Swedish Envir.onmental Protecti.on Agency 1997)
emphasized the necessity t.o reduce the nitr.ogen l.oad: t.o impr.ove the marine envir.onment ar.ound Sweden and t.o fulfil Sweden's internati.onal .obligati.ons. Acc.ording t.o the
estimai:e presented in the rep.ort, the nitr.ogen l.oad .on the seas can be reduced t.o 5.0%
as c.ompared with the 1985 loads. This .outc.ome w.ould c.ost the Swedish s.ocietyan annual5.o.o-6.o.o milli.on Swedish Cr.owns (SEK) (.op. cit., 10). The Eur.opean Uni.on has, in
fact, tightened the criteria f.or nitrogen in sewage effluents fr.om treatment plants, and
within HELCOM Sweden has been under pressure t.o implement nitr.ogen reducti.on
measures al.ong the c.oast .of the Gulf .of B.othnia, as well.
At the same time, representatives .of the sewage treatment industry (VAV) and s.ome
scientists remain unc.onvinced .of the usefulness .of nitr.ogen reducti.on. The debate .on
the effects .of nitr.ogen in the marine environment and ab.out the pros and c.ons c.oncerning the Swedish and EU nitr.ogen rem.oval p.olicy is .ong.oing. A specific issue is the
municipal sewage treatment plants' discharge t.o the Aland Sea and further s.outh. The
Swedish EPA arranged a meeting under the auspices .of "scientific mediati.on". Its m.ost
n.otable result was an agreement .on the fact that the spring phyt.oplankt.on bl.o.om in
the Baltic is limited by nitr.ogen availability. A thematically related internati.onal seminar, .organized by the Nati.onal C.ommittee f.or Water Pr.otecti.on Research (R.oyal Swedish Academy.of Science), underlines the nati.onal and internati.onal interest in the
eutr.ophicati.on issue.'
The Himmerfjarden Sewage Treatment s.outh .of St.ockh.olm applied a new nitr.ogen
reducti.on techn.ol.ogy which rem.oves 9.0-95% .of the inc.oming nitr.ogen. As a result, the
N/P-rati.os were very l.o:w during the fall and early winter .of 1997, in late autumn the
l.owest ever rec.orded since 1978. The .outc.ome indicates that the treatment effects are
measurable in the recipient water.
19.5.3
Coastal Management
T.o integrate the different c.oastal activities and act.ors' interest and t.o articulate them
in planning and management presents a true challenge t.o p.olicy makers, planners and
managers, especially if the aim is t.o reach s.oluti.ons which are envir.onmentally sustainable, ec.on.omically feasible and equitable (cf. French 1997: specifically Chapter 7).
A SUCOZOMA g.oal is t.o understand and compare different stakeh.olders' interests and
p.ositi.ons in relati.on t.o the sustainable use .of the c.oast. A first stakeh.older analysis with
respect t.o mussel culture was d.one. The result was an identificati.on .of stakeh.olders
synthesized in an evaluati.on matrix which indicates the capability t.o influence mussel
culture in Sweden .or t.o be influenced by it. The ,gr.oups c.onsidered were regulating
b.odies, res.ource users, industries, l.ocal inhabitants and p.olitical act.ors. A c.ombined
371
the past few decades in many c.oastal waters ar.ound the w.orld. S.ome .of these species
.of algae pr.oduce t.oxins. T.oxic algae bl.o.oms as such are n.othing new. H.owever, the problem has been exacerbated and is n.ow giving rise t.o seri.ous c.oncern (ICES 1992;
cf. F.olke et al. 1994; Gren 1993; F.olke and Kautsky 1992).
The .occurrence.of excepti.onal cyan.obacterial bl.o.oms in the Baltic during the summer .of 1997 and the unusually severe .oxygen deficiency al.ong much .of the Swedish
west c.oast during the winter .of 1997/98 indicate the imp.ortance .of the eutrophicati.on
issue f.or Sweden. The media attenti.on was c.onsiderable in b.oth cases. The g.overnmental
rep.ort "Nitr.ogen fr.om land t.o sea" (Swedish Envir.onmental Protecti.on Agency 1997)
emphasized the necessity t.o reduce the nitr.ogen l.oad: t.o impr.ove the marine envir.onment ar.ound Sweden and t.o fulfil Sweden's internati.onal .obligati.ons. Acc.ording t.o the
estimai:e presented in the rep.ort, the nitr.ogen l.oad .on the seas can be reduced t.o 5.0%
as c.ompared with the 1985 loads. This .outc.ome w.ould c.ost the Swedish s.ocietyan annual5.o.o-6.o.o milli.on Swedish Cr.owns (SEK) (.op. cit., 10). The Eur.opean Uni.on has, in
fact, tightened the criteria f.or nitrogen in sewage effluents fr.om treatment plants, and
within HELCOM Sweden has been under pressure t.o implement nitr.ogen reducti.on
measures al.ong the c.oast .of the Gulf .of B.othnia, as well.
At the same time, representatives .of the sewage treatment industry (VAV) and s.ome
scientists remain unc.onvinced .of the usefulness .of nitr.ogen reducti.on. The debate .on
the effects .of nitr.ogen in the marine environment and ab.out the pros and c.ons c.oncerning the Swedish and EU nitr.ogen rem.oval p.olicy is .ong.oing. A specific issue is the
municipal sewage treatment plants' discharge t.o the Aland Sea and further s.outh. The
Swedish EPA arranged a meeting under the auspices .of "scientific mediati.on". Its m.ost
n.otable result was an agreement .on the fact that the spring phyt.oplankt.on bl.o.om in
the Baltic is limited by nitr.ogen availability. A thematically related internati.onal seminar, .organized by the Nati.onal C.ommittee f.or Water Pr.otecti.on Research (R.oyal Swedish Academy.of Science), underlines the nati.onal and internati.onal interest in the
eutr.ophicati.on issue.'
The Himmerfjarden Sewage Treatment s.outh .of St.ockh.olm applied a new nitr.ogen
reducti.on techn.ol.ogy which rem.oves 9.0-95% .of the inc.oming nitr.ogen. As a result, the
N/P-rati.os were very l.o:w during the fall and early winter .of 1997, in late autumn the
l.owest ever rec.orded since 1978. The .outc.ome indicates that the treatment effects are
measurable in the recipient water.
19.5.3
Coastal Management
T.o integrate the different c.oastal activities and act.ors' interest and t.o articulate them
in planning and management presents a true challenge t.o p.olicy makers, planners and
managers, especially if the aim is t.o reach s.oluti.ons which are envir.onmentally sustainable, ec.on.omically feasible and equitable (cf. French 1997: specifically Chapter 7).
A SUCOZOMA g.oal is t.o understand and compare different stakeh.olders' interests and
p.ositi.ons in relati.on t.o the sustainable use .of the c.oast. A first stakeh.older analysis with
respect t.o mussel culture was d.one. The result was an identificati.on .of stakeh.olders
synthesized in an evaluati.on matrix which indicates the capability t.o influence mussel
culture in Sweden .or t.o be influenced by it. The ,gr.oups c.onsidered were regulating
b.odies, res.ource users, industries, l.ocal inhabitants and p.olitical act.ors. A c.ombined