1BONUS IN BRIEF NOVEMBER 2019 |

The regular BONUS in Brief readers will notice the fresh look of our newsletter which from

now on goes simply by the name In brief. This is mostly because the future joint Baltic and North Sea Research and Innovation Pro-gramme has obtained its future name and face. Among the first products of BANOS Coordination and Support Action (BANOS CSA), the brand of the new ‘sister seas’ programme has been deliv-ered. This issue marks the transi-tion from BONUS to BANOS. The transition, however, will not happen overnight – vigorous research work on twenty BONUS projects, among them, eight knowledge review and synthesis projects will continue into the latter part of 2020. Building the new programme, according to the plans of BANOS CSA will bring us into 2021.

Designing the backbone of the future programme – its strategic research and innovation

agenda (SRIA) has started already from the first days of BANOS CSA. The defined scope of the future programme together with the mapped national and transnational research and innovation priorities have gener-ated three strategic objectives for the future programme: Healthy Seas and Coast, Sustainable Blue Economy and Human Wellbeing. Gaining knowledge necessary for implementing the ecosystem-based management will form the core of the future programme. The middle spread of this issue by Karoliina Koho explains the whole production process of SRIA.

Similarly as BONUS in the Baltic Sea, the ‘sister seas’ programme BANOS is poised to become a key platform for con-necting the dots and establishing a link between areas and subjects that have all too often been considered in isolation, such as the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, research funding in different

countries, or policy and science. These expectations by the Execu-tive Secretary of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Rüdiger Strempel on the next page are based upon more than a decade long vital collaboration between HELCOM and BONUS.

During a busy week in mid-August, researchers gathered in Stockholm University for the 12th Baltic Sea Science Congress. As pointed out by its lead organizer professor Christoph Humborg, this year’s congress was a very successful event (p.6). More than 90 % of participants that provided feedback to the organ-izers were overall satisfied with the congress and more than half of these participants gave it the highest possible rating. We believe that to a great extent the success of BSSC 2019 was forged also by contribution from our BONUS programme. Already before the actual opening, the congress was jump-started

by a unique training session on science communication hosted by the communication experts from COMPASS (USA). Mak-ing the true impact through disseminating the scientific facts to broad society and com-municating the scientific evidence to policies was a centerpiece of the whole congress. A decade ago, before the birth of BONUS, this would have not been even imaginable: these congress clos-ing words by professor Humborg convey the very essence of our programme’s mission. Making connections for the future – one of the central themes of BSSC 2019 – describes perfectly our today’s assignment.

Have a fun read,

Andris AndrusaitisActing Executive Director, BONUSCoordinator, BANOS CSA

CONTENTS

Making connections for the future

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Editorial 1Guest column: Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary, HELCOM

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Guest column: Helena Tuuri, Ambassador for Baltic Sea Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

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Regional sea basin communities strengthened further their collaboration in summer 2019

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Roadmap for BANOS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

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BANOS gets a new brand

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Guest column: Professor Christoph Humborg, Stockholm University and Organizer of Baltic Sea Science Congress 2019

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New AMBIO Special Issue on sustainable ecosystem governance under changing climate and land use

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Training is high on BONUS-projects’ agenda

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BONUS projects and key stakeholder platforms in timeline

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Outcomes of VE and SES projects

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BONUS and BANOS CSA members

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2019In Brief In Brief is published by the BONUS EEIG to

inform the BONUS and BANOS communities about current activities and news.

EDITORIAL

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| BONUS IN BRIEF MAY 20192

Connecting the dots: HELCOM and BANOS embark on trans-regional cooperation through a “sister seas approach”by Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary, HELCOM

Let me come clean right at the outset: I am not a sci-entist. But, nonetheless, I strongly believe that in

international marine environ-mental protection, as in many other policy domains, evidence-based policy is the best bet for achieving our ambitious goals, as well as securing broad accept-ance and ownership. And science provides the evidence we need.

In the Baltic Sea region, we are blessed with a vibrant and innovative science and research community and the work of these experts has long played a vital role in informing the decisions taken by HELCOM. And, since its inception, BONUS has been a key partner for HELCOM in that context.

Launched in 2004, BONUS closed a gap in the Baltic Sea science and research landscape. In 1997, three informal associa-tions of scientists in our region – the Baltic Marine Biologists, the Conference of Baltic Ocean-ographers and the Baltic Marine Geologists – established a joint forum: the Baltic Sea Science Congress. What was missing, however, was targeted and regular cooperation between Baltic Sea research funding mechanisms. Enter BONUS.

Bringing together the research funding institutions of the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea, the EU itself and, by way of bilateral agreements, the Russian Federation, BONUS projects drive an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to generating knowledge, scien-tific evidence and innova-tion. True to the BONUS motto of delivering “science for a better future of the Baltic Sea region”, these projects contributed not only to promoting the HELCOM agenda, but also the Baltic Sea-related EU strategies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – all of which are closely interlinked. All Baltic Sea states are joining forces in implementing one shared research agenda, based on one centralized mechanism for selecting and running the projects and one virtual common source of funding. The output is impres-sive: 64 transnational research and innovation projects with over 1,200 contributions to stakeholder committees and working groups, numerous direct reports to HELCOM bodies, a continual involvement in updating the Bal-tic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), as well as some 140 suggestions

for improving public policies, governance and management at various levels. Small wonder, then, that the final evaluation of

BONUS led to the conclusion that “BONUS has been a great success in many ways.”

And now, the BONUS part-ners are taking things one step further as BONUS evolves into BANOS CSA – the Baltic and North Sea Coordination and Support Action. Adopting a “sis-ter seas” approach, it will link up the research funding institu-tions of the 13 states around the Baltic and North Seas to work towards BANOS, the joint Baltic and North Sea Research and Innovation Programme.

HELCOM, the OSPAR Commis-sion, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and the Joint Program-ming Initiative JPI Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans (JPI Oceans) are strategic partners of

the BANOS CSA consortium.We are at a stage where we

have a fairly clear under-standing of the isolated processes taking place in our oceans and seas. Much of our work is underpinned by solid science and many

of our knowledge gaps are currently being addressed.

At least for the Baltic Sea, we also have the necessary political and policy frameworks in place, ranging from the municipal, to the regional (HELCOM, EU) to the global levels (SDGs, Aichi targets). But to advance the global oceans agenda, we now need to connect the connectable: adjacent ecosystems such as the Baltic and North Seas, because they are part of a bigger picture; science and policy, because the best way to advance our agenda on sustainable development is via science-informed decision mak-ing; and organisations that share similar mandates, processes and mechanisms, such as HELCOM and OSPAR, to generate process

efficiencies – our common work on a joint approach to bycatch of marine mammals and water birds being just one case in point.

BANOS is poised to become a key platform for connecting those dots and establishing a link between different areas and subjects that have all too often been considered in isolation, such as our sister seas, or funding and research, or policy and science. To quote Marie Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” This is as true today as it was a century ago. I am confi-dent that, through its connecting role, BANOS – just like BONUS – will make a major contribution to fostering the knowledge and understanding we require and play a valuable role in achiev-ing the ecological objectives we have set for ourselves – for the Baltic Sea in particular, and the world’s oceans and seas in general. I look forward to the con-tinued, successful cooperation between HELCOM and BONUS/BANOS. 

Hakaniemenranta 600530 Helsinki, Finland

www.bonusportal.org www.banoscsa.org

Twitter: BONUSBaltic | BANOS_CSATel. +358 40 040 4011

Editor-in-Chief: Maija Sirola (MS)Editor: Tiina Launiainen

Editorial board: Andris Andrusaitis, Karoliina Koho, Meelis Sirendi, Minna Ulvila Layout: Oy Graaf AbPrinting: Painotalo Plus Digital Oy, 2019

BONUS, the joint Baltic Sea research and development programme, produces knowledge and eco-technological advances to support

development and implementation of regulations, policies and manage-ment practices specifically tailored for the Baltic Sea region. It issues calls for competitive proposals and funds projects of high excellence and relevance based on its strategic research agenda.

BONUS EEIG is the legal management organisation of BONUS. It also acts as the coordinator of the project ‘Baltic

and North Sea Coordination and Support Action (BANOS CSA)’ set to build the necessary preconditions for the future, joint Baltic and North Sea Research and Innovation Programme envisaged to start in 2021.

BONUS is funded jointly from the national research funding institutions in the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea and the European Union by a total of EUR

100 million for the years 2011–2020. Russia participates in BONUS through bilateral agreements.

BANOS CSA has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 817574.

© 2019 BONUS Baltic Organisations’ Network for Funding Science EEIG

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GUEST COLUMN

Significance of regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea regionby Helena Tuuri, Ambassador for Baltic Sea Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

The Baltic Sea is part of our identity. It has always been a source of well-being, recreation and competi-

tiveness. The Baltic Sea connects us to all points of the compass and is our route out to the world. Improving the state of the Baltic Sea and enhancing the region’s environmental cooperation is a priority to the Government of Finland, also illustrated in the government programme.

Finland’s Strategy for the Bal-tic Sea Region was established in 2017. The aim is a clean, viable sea, a politically stable region and an area that is a forerunner in circular and bio economy. Sustainable development is the guiding principle of action. We want to utilize the Baltic Sea’s economic potential while keeping its marine life well protected and vital. Furthermore, it pays atten-tion to the importance of new technologies, models and solu-tions for safe and clean shipping and the maritime industry as well as for the region to become innovative, competitive and well-connected.

The state of the Baltic Sea and its fragile ecosystem should be a concern of all. National polices are important but they are not enough. Acting alone will not provide us with necessary meas-ures to confront the challenges our sea is facing. Cooperation is of essence in order to protect the Baltic Sea region – as well as all seas and oceans worldwide.

The Baltic Sea cooperation is in the agenda of numer-ous organizations, inter alia the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Baltic Marine Environ-ment Protection Commission HELCOM as well as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region EUSBSR. Finland is now chairing HELCOM and EUSBSR as well as the Council of the European Union – and doing its outmost to promote the protection and the sustainable use of the Baltic Sea.

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, approved in 2009, was the EU s first macro-regional

strategy. Since its adaptation, other regional strategies have followed suit. The Strategy, celebrating its tenth year anniver-sary this October, aims at saving the sea, connecting the region around it and increasing pros-

perity. The work of BONUS contributes to these aims. In addition to intergovernmental networks, the implementation of the Strategy also involves regional and local authorities as well as research and educational institutions, private companies,

foundations, associations and civil society actors.

The Action Plan of the Strat-egy is presently under revision. The target is to redraft it to become more strategical, focused and forward-looking. The time-table is tight – it is important to have the most essential parts of the Action Plan ready by

the beginning of next year, in order to have influence

in the preparations for the new financial instru-ments of the EU s next Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021–2027. The Strategy does not have

its own EU budget line but so far most of its financing has

come from Interreg-Baltic Sea. In future we should be able to get more funding also inter alia from the Structural Funds.

Macro-regional strategies are relatively new ways to plan the future of Europe. They strength is their multi-level way of function-ing, cooperation of and between countries, regions, municipalities, civil society and academia. This brings ownership and committing

wider than any other form in the EU. The aim to solve problems that cannot be solved alone and the purpose is to be inclusive and citizen-driven. Eventually the strategies will mature to deliver policy multi-level cooperation, impact and new methods as well as engage stakeholders. The Baltic Sea Strategy has already during its tenure established new structures of collaboration that can more effectively address our joint chal-lenges and opportunities. Despite of big leaps forward, there is still a lot to do.

Research and the develop-ment of science-based manage-ment gives added value to the policy-making of the entire region. This is why BONUS and the research activities it integrates has an important task to fulfil. BONUS has also had an important role in exchanging information as well as educating and engaging stakeholders.

I am convinced that BANOS will continue the excellent coor-dination of joint research and innovation efforts in the Baltic and the North Sea. 

Regional sea basin communities strengthened further their collaboration in summer 2019Five regional seas joined forces at EMD 2019 in Lisbon on 16 May in a follow up to the successful cross-regional cooperation workshop held at EMD 2018 in Burgas. The next necessary steps for coordinated and proactive cross-basin cooperation in research and innovation were taken to ensure the long-term sustainable ecosystem-based management of the European regional seas and oceans.

Atlantic Ocean, Baltic and North Sea, Black Sea, and Mediterranean Sea R&I initiatives’ workshop

attracted some 100 participants who proactively engaged with the workshop. The workshop was organized by Fundação para

a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT; coordinator of the AANChOR Coordination and Support Action); the Middle East Techni-cal University; BONUS EEIG (coordinator of Baltic and North Sea Coordination and Support Action); and the Organization of

the Black Sea Economic Coopera-tion (BSEC).

A few weeks later, the Euro-pean sea basin communities came together for the  EurOCEAN conference organized by the European Marine Board in Paris and this way building yet further on the two previous EMD cross-regional seas R&I coopera-tion workshops.

The panel discussion on 12 June focused on how better cooperation among the regional sea initiatives can contribute to the Decade of the Ocean, espe-cially in respect to the Sustainable Development Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

A message of the session was clear: Together we can address issues, which are too big and

complex to tackle by one nation alone, to provide solutions for sustainable development of tomorrow. “We should not create a bubble; we should create an alli-ance of regional sea programmes for our common good” empha-sized Andris Andrusaitis (Acting Executive Director of BONUS Secretariat), representing the Bal-tic and North Sea initiatives (BONUS Programme, BANOS CSA). The importance of aligning the national priorities was further stressed by other panelists. Iden-tifying synergies and overarching issues within the national priori-ties is critically needed to ensure the sustainable development of future seas and oceans. Sofia Cordeiro (Coordinator Ocean Programme of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Tech-nology), representing the Atlantic AANChOR H2020 project, Fabio Fava (Professor at the Univer-sity of Bologna), representing the Mediterranean BLUEMED working group, and Baris Salihoglu (Director of Institute

of Marine Sciences at the Mid-dle East Technical University, Turkey), representing the Black sea community and soon to be launched Black Sea CSA as well as Ana Teresa Caetano, Policy Officer from the European Com-mission Healthy Oceans & Seas Unit, DG RDT were the other panelists.

A joint declaration of intent of partnering research and innova-tion activities has been agreed by the five regional seas initiatives (Atlantic Ocean, Baltic and North Sea, Black Sea, and Mediter-ranean) and the JPI Oceans, and by this, important steps in official collaboration of the sea-basin initiatives initiated.

Since summer, cross-basin R&I cooperation has been discussed in a meeting hosted by JPI Oceans in Brussels. Next the regional seas will convene in early 2020 in Helsinki hosted by the BANOS CSA Secretariat. 

/MSSpeakers of EMD 2019 regional seas workshop, 16 May from left: Fabio Trincardi, Peter Heffernan, Fritz Köster, Baris Salihoglu, Ana Teresa Caetano.

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The roadmap for the BANOS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)by Karoliina Koho, Project Officer, BANOS CSA

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The BANOS CSA dialogue session at ICES ASC attracted expert input into future Baltic and North Sea SRIAThe research priorities and knowledge needs highlighted by the ICES Annual Science Conference (ASC) audience clearly emphasized the need for better integration of natural and social sciences.

While natural sciences can provide answers to questions, such as which of the multiple stressors may be driving

ecosystem’s change or what is the environmental impact of aquaculture on marine environment, social sciences

are needed to understand the value of different benefits provided by marine ecosystem services to humans.

Social sciences also play a critical role in projection of the future demand of ecosystem services and in development of more efficient

ways of governing and manag-ing human interactions with marine environment.

In addition, new modelling approaches should be designed together with social scientists, who could advise the modelers on concrete goals and type of results needed.

Recruitment of the SRIA drafting team The drafting team consists of

ca. 20 marine experts. It covers a wide range of competences ranging from sustainable ecosys-tem management approaches and land-sea interconnections to development of new blue innova-tion and marine social economics.

The task of the BANOS SRIA drafting team is challenging, as it will need to keep in mind that the BANOS programme, once it gets launched, intends to supply the knowledge needs for the com-ing decade and beyond.

Delivery of the draft SRIA for consultation with the delegates of

the SOW

Phase I of SRIA drafting

Have your say in the drafting processWe welcome input into the SRIA research and innovation themes: www.banoscsa.org/SRIAthemes.

Do they cover the critical science and innovation needs of the coming decade in the Baltic and North Sea basins? Let us know your suggestions!

You can send your feedback via the coordinating officer at BANOS CSA by emailing karoliina . koho @ bonuseeig . fi by end of November 2019.

Establishing the basis for the SRIA

The defined scope of the future programme together with the mapped national and trans-national research and innovation priorities have generated three strategic objectives for the future programme:

(i) Healthy Seas and Coast(ii) Sustainable Blue Economy and (iii) Human Wellbeing.

As a precondition for achieving all these objectives, the ecosystem-based management forms the core of the future programme.

Three attributes defining the scope of the future programme are the close connection to the ecosystem, dependence on climate impact and geographic relevance to the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

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The roadmap for the BANOS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)by Karoliina Koho, Project Officer, BANOS CSA

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Apr 20

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BANOS SRIA 2021–202X

Publication no. 1 in BANOS report series The SRIA will be ready by

the end of 2020. However, it will maintain the character of “living document” that has been well-tested in the BANOS predecessor programme BONUS. This will entail regular updates driven by the chang-ing policy landscape and scientific developing.

Strategic Orientation Workshop (SOW) The SOW is a central event both in the process of the SRIA development as well as its subsequent updates.

The objective of the event is to scrutinize the draft SRIA and agree in direct interaction with the drafting team on its final structure, content and expected outcomes under dif-ferent objectives and research and innovation themes.

Selection of approximately 100-strong quorum of the SOW will be based upon the analytic stakeholder map-ping carried out by the BANOS CSA consortium.

Phase II of SRIA drafting Phase III of SRIA drafting

Autumn 20

BANOS gets a new brand!

In the core of the now completed future Baltic and North Sea Research and Innovation Programme’s

(BANOS) brand are the joint efforts that work towards Unlocking Sustainable Blue

Growth of the North European Seas. According to the plans of the BANOS CSA consor-tium, the new logo, first used in the current BANOS CSA project, will together with all the other new BANOS brand

elements consistently support the different stages of setting up, rolling out and implement-ing BANOS.

The purple-gold sym-bol in the BANOS logo is derived from the visualiza-tion of the picture on right showing the place where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet, the connection of

the Skagerrak and the Kattegat i.e. symbolically the link-ages between the two Seas that unite the BANOS programme. Two meeting entities also symbolise the BANOS brand values and way of operating.

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Final editing, layout and

publishing of SRIA.

The task of the drafting team is complete. Delivery

of the final draft SRIA, including incorporation of feedback from the SOW.

6 | BONUS IN BRIEF NOVEMBER 2019

Baltic Sea Science Congress 2019 – Connections made for the futureby Christoph Humborg, Lead Scientist and Organizer of BSSC 2019, Professor of Coastal Biogeochemistry and Scientific Director of the Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University

During a busy week in August, close to 400 researchers gathered in Stockholm University for the 12th Baltic Sea Science Congress (BSSC). Following an inspiring science-media panel discussion in the opening plenary, the congress week featured a number of high-quality presentations, many fruitful discussions and a rich social programme. All in the spirit of the congress theme – Making connections for the future.

Each day starting with a high-profile keynote and four plenary talks before moving on to the parallel

sessions, a total of more than 140 scientists presented their research as oral talks. Five ses-sions were held, presenting wide topics such as external forcing, coastal seascapes, ecosystem dynamics, monitoring and policy strategies.

This year, BONUS, as a co-organizer of BSSC, also sponsored a key com-ponent to the event, high-lighting the policy-science connection, a key element in realizing its efforts and creating impact. Clear and well-structured science communication is impor-tant for science to reach policy makers, in support of a better future for the Baltic Sea region.

What does society really want to know?On Tuesday 20 August, the open-ing session of BSSC was kicked off by warm welcomes expressed to the Congress by prestigiuos invited guests Isabella Lövin, Swedish Minister for Environ-ment and Climate, Astrid Söderbergh-Widding, Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm Uni-versity and Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (via a video greeting).

Supported by BONUS, the welcomes were followed by an innovative opening keynote

and moderation: Nancy Baron, Director of Science Outreach, COMPASS, was joined by a group of researchers and journal-

ists on stage for a fast-paced mock press conference. Under the topic Tell Me More: What does society really want to know about the changes in the Baltic and why it matters?, the scientist were challenged to present their research in 3-minute pitches on topics that included marine biodiversity by Alf Norkko, Uni-versity of Helsinki, nutrients by Michelle McCrackin, Stockholm University, chemicals by Anna Sobek, Stockholm University, climate modelling by Erik Kjell-ström, Swedish Meteorological Institute and fisheries and Sea-food Business for Ocean Steward-ship by Henrik Österblom, also from Stockholm University.

A group of leading journal-ists i.e. from the USA, David

Malakoff, Deputy News Editor of Science and Kenneth R Weiss, a Pulitzer Prize winning inde-pendent reporter were joined by three Baltic Sea reporters Peter Buchert of Finland’s daily news-paper Hufvudstadsbladet, Sandra

Kropa of Latvia’s national TV and Radio and Jannike

Kihlberg of Sweden’s biggest daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, then probed the scientists about their pitches and explained which had, and why, raised

their interest as journalists. See the full session video

recording at http://su.se/ ostersjocentrum/bsscopening.

Posters, pitch-pits and networking electrified the get-togetherMore than 160 posters were presented in the evening poster sessions, and all presenters were welcome to promote their

poster in a one-minute speed talk. During the evening, also Nancy Baron together with the journalists from the morn-ing’s mock press conference welcomed the BSSC participants to a BONUS-sponsored pitching event Thinking Story Like a Jour-nalist. How do you present your research in a way that it catches the eye of a journalist, and in the long run, would be of interest for the general public? The ‘jury’ provided ample and useful feedback on each pitch made.

Jump start to the congress week with the 7th BONUS Young Scientist ClubAlready before the actual con-gress opening, BONUS hosted a unique training session on science communication on Monday 19 August, welcoming all young scientists to take part, for free. About 80 researchers took the opportunity to learn the COMPASS Message Box technique and to get hands-on practice on how to confidently communicate their research.

As attracting young scientists to the Baltic Sea research field is

crucial for the future, we are very pleased that BONUS choose to arrange this important training session. The feedback received from the participants was over-whelmingly positive.

Looking forward to BSSC 2021Now back to usual business in Stockholm, we look on BSSC 2019 as a very successful event. The evaluation showed that 92 % of the respondents were overall satisfied with the congress. More than half of the respondents gave it the highest possible rat-ing. Also, many journalists were invited to the BSSC opening, and the interest led to a lot of media coverage on the event, and even more on the overall state of the Baltic.

We are very thankful to BONUS for financially sup-porting the congress, including the opening mock press confer-ence, pitch pit, technology for science session and all keynotes, as well as hosting the Young Sci-entist Club. We now turn our eyes towards our Danish neighbours and look forward to the upcom-ing BSSC 2021 in Aarhus. 

GUEST COLUMN

The BONUS Young Scientist Club, 19 August.Hands-on practicing at BONUS Young Scientist Club.

Science-media panelists on 20 August from right: Nancy Baron, Alf Norkko, Michelle McCrackin, Anna Sobek, Erik Kjellström, Henrik Österblom, Sandra Kropa, Peter Buchert, David Malakoff, Kenneth R Weiss, Jannike Kihlberg.

The Stockholm City Hall is best known for hosting the annual Nobel Price Award ceremonies. This time, the Stockholm City generously invited all BSSC participants for a dinner and City Hall tour on Wednesday, 21 August.

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New AMBIO Special IssueExcerpts from: Hasler, B., K. Hyytiäinen, J.C. Refsgaard, J.C.R. Smart, and K. Tonderski. 2019. Sustainable ecosystem governance under changing climate and land use: An introduction. Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01269-9.

The AMBIO Special Issue brings together recent research from four BONUS-funded projects – BONUS BALTICAPP, BONUS GO4BALTIC, BONUS MIRACLE and BONUS SOILS2SEA – that comprised part of the projects funded from the ‘Viable Ecosystem’ and ‘Sustainable Ecosystem Services’ calls. The projects addressed common concerns through somewhat different, but interrelated, themes. Key messages emphasized and discussed in the research papers of the Special Issue are summarized under four interlinked themes: Scenarios for the future, Policies and ecosystem services in water governance, Novel approaches for managing nutrients, and Advanced modelling from field level to entire Baltic Sea region.

State of the Baltic Sea – Combatting eutrophica-tion is currently a major challenge for policy

makers in the Baltic Sea region, and it is likely to remain so in the decades to come. Although total nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea have recently declined, the gap between current load-ings and those required to ensure the desired status is still substantial (Reusch et al.2018). The AMBIO Special Issue is dedicated to research that helps inform how the eutrophication challenge might best be addressed

by improving our understand-ing of technological constraints, societal drivers of change, land uses, environmental policies, and innovative governance with stakeholder involvement. These issues are important for the cur-rent generation and those to come and are issues we must address in order to succeed in reducing nutrient loads to the desired levels to gradually achieve the desired good environmental status of the Baltic Sea.

The Special Issue addresses current knowledge about nutrient loading of the Baltic Sea and its

consequences, plausible future developments, and ecosystem services, as well as suggest-ing ways forward regarding stakeholder involvement, design of policy instruments and gov-ernance structures to mitigate the problem. The Special Issue includes 12 articles in the fields of agronomy, hydrology, marine ecology, economics and policy sciences. The results were pre-sented and discussed at the 3rd BONUS Symposium: ‘‘Sustaina-ble Ecosystem Governance under Changing Climate and Land Use in the Baltic Sea Region’’ held in

the European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk, 14–16 March 2018. The Symposium brought together scientists, policymakers, NGOs, representatives from the private sector and authorities from vari-ous levels. Findings from these research projects will be of inter-est in many settings – elsewhere

in Europe and globally – where water quality management is confronted by challenges driven by socioeconomic developments in combination with climate change.

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Participants of the 3rd BONUS Symposium, 14–16 March 2018, networking.

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Training is high on BONUS-projects’ agendaby Meelis Sirendi, Deputy Executive Director, BONUS EEIG

Those who have been involved in writing project proposals or in evaluating them, no doubt remember that quite important aspect in all BONUS-funded projects is training; whether it is training of the next generation of researchers, or organizing the post-graduate courses, or even providing training to the already established researchers on new methods or equipment.

To date 27 BONUS research projects have organized a total of 38 training courses with more than

600 researchers as participants. Geographically these participants have covered all nine Baltic Sea coastal countries, most of the other EU countries and Norway and as far and wide as Australia, Canada, Nigeria and the USA.

A snippet of examples of different courses organized are listed here (with the training materials also available on some of the respective projects’ website, or upon request, for more visit www.bonusportal.org/projects):

� BONUS Viable ecosystem projects BIO-C3/INSPIRE/COCOA/BAMBI organized a summer school Modelling Biodiversity for Sustainable Use of Baltic Sea Living Resources in 2016.

� BONUS SHEBA project elabo-rated educational information portal on Sustainable Shipping and Environment of the Baltic Sea region www.sheba-project.eu/infoportal/index.php.en

� BONUS BALTCOAST organ-ized two summer schools

under the title A System Approach Framework for Coastal Research and Manage-ment: From theory to practice in 2016 (Klaipeda) and in 2017 (Riga/Salacgriva), see photo on right.

� BONUS BASMATI organ-ized two PhD courses in 2018 titled Spatial Decision Support Systems for Maritime Spatial Planning and Maritime Spatial Planning processes in Baltic Sea countries.

� BONUS INTEGRAL project together with the Interna-tional Ocean Carbon and biogeochemistry Coordination Project (IOCCP) organised earlier this year a 10-day international training course titled Instrumenting our ocean for better observation: a training course on a suite of biogeochemical sensors.

Another important aspect in the projects is involving and supporting the PhD students. Until now, 268 PhD students have been involved into the BONUS projects’ implementation. This amounts to roughly one fifth of researchers involved in the BONUS projects. Most of

those PhD students (222) have been also financially supported by BONUS. As a result, almost 50 researchers with freshly obtained PhD degree joined the scientific community, mostly in the Baltic Sea region but also reinforcing the scientific poten-tial of institutions elsewhere. The number is not final yet since the last projects will end in Sep-tember 2020 and with a year from thereon, we hope that many more new PhD students supported by BONUS will have presented their thesis.

Some examples of BONUS-supported thesis include:

� Maria Alexandra Bighiu: Use and environmental impact of antifouling paints in the Baltic Sea. Stockholm University, February 2017. Maria was involved in BONUS CHANGE.

� Dmitry Domnin: Geo-ecolog-ical assessment and zoning of catchment areas of the Kalin-ingrad Oblast. Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, September 2017. Dmitry was involved in BONUS SOILS2SEA and

earlier as well in ECOSUP-PORT project. Dmistry was funded by Russian partner of BONUS programme (RFBR)

� Vivi Fleming-Lehtinen: Secchi depth in the Baltic Sea – an indicator of eutrophica-tion, Helsinki University (SYKE), November 2016. Vivi was involved in BONUS COCOA and currently work-ing in SYKE and coordinating the BONUS DESTONY (syn-thesis project).

� Irma Vybernaitė-Lubienė: Loads, transport and transfor-mations of nutrients N, P and SI along the river-lagoon-sea continuum, University of Klaipeda, Nov 2018. Irma was involved in BONUS COCOA.

� Jens Daniel Müller: Ocean Acidification in the Baltic Sea: Involved Processes, Metrology of pH in Brackish Waters, and Calcification under Fluctuating Conditions, University of Rostock (IOW), May 2018. Jens was involved in BONUS PINBAL and is currently working in BONUS INTEGRAL, also in IOW.

� Gert Toming: Fluid Body Interaction of Biomimetic Underwater Robots, defended in the Tallinn University of Technology, February 2017. Gert was involved in BONUS innovation project FISHVIEW.

Students extracting magnetites at the beach in Salacgriva during the BONUS BALTCOAST summer school 2017.

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BONUS is funded jointly from the national research funding institutions in the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea and the European Union by a total of EUR 100 million for the years 2011–2020.

The BANOS CSA project has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 817574.

BONUS members BANOS CSA consortium members

Strategic partners of BANOS CSA Observers of BANOS CSA

BONUS projects and key stakeholder platforms in timelineThis In brief issue marks the transition from ‘BONUS to BANOS’. The transition, however, will not happen overnight – research work will continue until September 2020. Here in a timeline from the start of the implementation in 2012 are all five BONUS Art. 185 calls and some of the related key stakeholder engagement platforms.

2012• 12 November – BONUS calls

2012: Viable ecosystem (VE) and Innovation (INNO) launched

2013• May – VE outcome announced• 4 March – 3rd BONUS Forum and

6th HELCOM stakeholder conference ‘Future research needs of the Baltic Sea’

• June – INNO outcome announced• 26 November – BONUS in European

Parliament

2014• 1 January – VE and INNO projects

start• 16 January – BONUS call 2014:

Sustainable ecosystem services (SES) launched

• February – AMBIO Special Issue: BONUS+ in Support of the Ecosystem Approach to Management in the Baltic Sea

• 4 June – 4th BONUS Forum and 5th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

• July – SES outcome announced

2015• April – SES projects start• 17 June – 5th BONUS Forum and

10th Baltic Sea Science Congress• 31 August – Commissioner Carlos

Moedas visits BONUS• 9 November - BONUS call 2015:

Blue Baltic (BB) launched

2016• June – BB outcome announced

2017• April – BB projects start• 4 May – 6th BONUS Forum: ‘10 years

For the Baltic Sea and Beyond’• May – INNO projects end• 9 August – BONUS call 2017:

Synthesis launched

• 17–19 October – 1st BONUS Symposium: Science delivery for Sustainable Use of the Baltic Sea Living Resources

• 24–25 October – 2nd BONUS Symposium: Shipping and the environment

2018• February - Synthesis outcome

announced• 14–16 March – 3rd BONUS

Symposium: Sustainable Ecosystem Governance under Changing Climate and Land Use in the Baltic Sea Region

• 21 March - BONUS in European Parliament

• 30 April – VE projects end• October – Synthesis projects start• 6 November – 7th BONUS Forum

and 8th HELCOM Stakeholder Conference: Research and Innovation for Sustainability

• November – Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and Ocean Science joint Special issue: Shipping and the Environment – From Regional to Global Perspectives

• December – SES projects end• December – ICES Journal of Marine

Science special issue: Sustainable Use of Baltic Sea Resources

2019• October – AMBIO Special Issue:

Sustainable Ecosystem Governance of the Baltic Sea

2020• Spring – 4th and 5th BONUS

Symposia• September – BB projects end• September – Synthesis projects

end• Autumn – 8th BONUS Forum and

closing conference

www.bonusportal.org/projects

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BONUS calls

SynthesisBlue BalticSus tainable ecosystem

servicesInnovationViable

ecosytem

20132014

20152016

20172018

20192020

Start and end phases = light shade Implementation phase = bright shade

Outcomes of VE and SES projects

The results of recently ended BONUS projects funded from the BONUS call 2012: Viable ecosys-tems (VE; 2014–2017) and BONUS call 2014: Sustainable ecosystem services (SES; 2015–2018) have so far been published in a total of 449 scientific papers, half or more as open access, with another 140 papers still to come.

These projects enhanced not only the scientific knowledge on the Baltic Sea system, but with overall at least 230 corresponding suggestions also had a widespread impact on policy development, management measures, and society at large in the Baltic Sea region, in a quest of ensuring a healthy and thriving Baltic Sea also for future generations.

Email bonus @ bonuseeig . fi for the full briefings or read online www.bonusportal.org/ publications.

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