The Environment Ministers of the Barents Council decide to strengthen cooperation of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia
At the meeting of the Environment Ministers of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council held today, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Finland, Russia and Norway on the development of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia. The Green Belt refers to the network of protected areas and related projects from the Gulf of Finland to the Barents Sea.
The issues handled at the meeting held in Tromsø, Norway included especially the most polluting sites in the Barents Region that are in need of repair and cleansing. Finland’s delegation was headed by Permanent Secretary Hannele Pokka.
At the meeting, a special taskforce presented a proposal of criteria for estimating progress in the cleansing of sites. The joint project of Finland and Russian Karelia on destroying discarded pesticides was presented as the first project that has been finished. The most important projects include also the so-called BPAN project (Barents Protected Areas Network) which aims at creating a functioning network of protected areas in the Barents region. Apart from the protection of biodiversity, the project will also study the impacts of climate change on the Barents Region. The Green Belt of Fennoscandia and the BPAN will support each other.
Thanks to the new subgroups, the work of the Working Group on Environment of the Barents Council has been intensified during Norway’s chairmanship that ends today. Projects are being realised under the working groups on water, nature conservation, clean production and sustainable development. Next to the Barents Working Group on Environment, also the Barents Regional Council and the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation NEFCO reported on their activities.
During Sweden’s chairmanship from 2010 to 2011 the themes of the Working Group on Environment will include climate change and, in particular, renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency. The Working Group will also deal with sustainable production and consumption as well as the cleansing of the most polluting sites through practical projects.
More information
Senior Adviser Saija Vuola, Ministry of the Environment, tel.int. +358 40 197 5025, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Counsellor Martti Poutanen, Ministry of the Environment, tel.int. +358 50 300 6379, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi (Green Belt of Fennoscandia)
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