A Private Landowner Initiative for a Prosperous and Healthy Baltic Sea

Summary

The agricultural sector is a major contributor to the pollution of the Baltic Sea, and although successful efforts have been made to reduce the losses of nitrogen and phosphorous from farmland, a lot remains to be done to find long-term, sustainable solutions. Since almost all farmland around the Baltic Sea is private, the engagement of private landowners is of critical importance in creating a healthier Baltic Sea environment.

This was a two-phase project for preparing a full application for the Interreg Project “BALTIC rePAIR – A private landowner initiative”. Phase 1 focused on finding project partners and identifying possible pilot cases, phase 2 on coordinating the consortium, specifying activities and finalizing the application. The proposed project aimed at upscaling the original wetland restoration initiative in Tulletorp, Sweden, through:

• promoting spatial up-scaling of private landowners´ engagement to reduce causes for eutrophication
• adopting a circular economy approach
• improving the enabling conditions for the engagement of private landowners, and
• responding to climate change and renewable energy demands.