Russian scientists from St. Petersburg came to help in making a marine inventory of Trelleborg’s coastal zone

TRELLEBORG – a beginner becomes expert in Region cooperation

Five years ago the Municipality of Trelleborg had little, if any, contact with its Baltic neighbours. But a threatened eco-system, a passionate commitment to environmen- tal issues and funding from the European Union fuelled a busy programme of inter- national collaboration. Trelleborg’s environmental initiatives are now being exported to the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea and further projects are planned.

The beaches around The Baltic Master project, funded by the Euro- Trelle­borg are full of rotting pean Union, provided the turning point for algae. The extensive shallows environmental initiatives in Trelleborg. Some along the coast provide a greenhouse 40 different organizations from seven countries for the algae, leading to water bloom that is round the Baltic Sea took part in the project. rich in nutrients and that kills off all other living Trelleborg ran a case study that researched the organisms. The sea lacks oxygen and the seafloor factors affecting the sea in Trelleborg’s coastal becomes a dead environment. Forests of seaweed zone. Work under the auspices of the Baltic Mas- teeming with life are now just a memory. One ter project led to scientific knowledge, contacts could make a long list of the problems caused by and increased understanding of the environmen- eutrophication along the shores of Trelleborg. tal issues within the municipality. “We identified the problems”, Sten Björk main- “Algae can be seen as a resource rather than a problem” says Sten Björk, member of the municipal environmental committee and a leading force in international cooperation.

tains. He is a member of the municipal environ- lization ourselves”, Sten Björk maintains. “Inter- mental committee and a leading force in inter- national exchanges are instructive in themselves national cooperation. “Now it is time to generate and collaboration leads us into a positive circle. We solutions. Algae can be seen as a resource rather spread expertise and we gain the financial support than a problem.” that makes the project possible. This means that we To this end, the municipality initiated an envi- learn more and acquire more scientific knowledge ronmental project entitled Kretsloppet (Cycle). This that we can share with others.” was funded by the Swedish Environmental Agency and the Ministry of the Environment. The project Marine inventory by Russians is concerned with both reducing the leakage of During the summer of 2009 a group of ten scien- nutrients into the sea and removing algae and other tists from St. Petersburg in came to help in materials rich in nutrients, partially transforming making a marine inventory of Trelleborg’s coastal them into biogas. Landowners in the municipal- zone. The scientists want to establish where har- ity are cooperating in the cultivation of freshwater vesting algae would be most appropriate and to algae, in restoring rivers and in creating wetlands. produce statistical material for future comparison. Specially engineered marine harvesters are being “The Russian scientists were highly qualified built to pick up the red algae in the sea close to and incredibly professional”, Fredrik Gröndahl the shore. A biogas plant, planned as the largest in explains. He is a researcher at the KTH Royal Europe, is under construction in Jordberga. Institute of Technology in Stockholm and is in charge of the inventory. “It would have been Exporting knowledge expensive and difficult to find the same level of The next step is to export an environmental competence from our own resources. In turn, the approach to other Baltic countries. Several areas Russians had the opportunity of investigating an of have a similar, physical makeup to the entirely new marine region and of learning about Trelleborg region with agricultural flatlands that our ideas on environmental cycles.” leak nutrients into the sea and with their beaches covered with seaweed and algae. With support from Project for cleaner shipping the European Union’s Southern Baltic Programme, Waste products from shipping are also included five Swedish and five Polish organizations will col- in the municipality’s environmental strategy. A laborate in transmitting technology and expertise large proportion of goods entering from from Trelleborg’s Kretsloppet environmental initia- the Continent do so through Trelleborg where the tive to Poland. The new project is known as WAB harbour and terminal are in the centre of the which stands for Wetlands, Algae, Biogas. city. Together with shipping companies the munici- “We can solve the problem with excessive ferti- pality has initiated a project for cleaner shipping Test driving a marine harvester for algae outside Trelleborg.

known as CLEANSHIP. Trelleborg has applied to tional cooperative ventures nor had it submitted any the European Union’s Southern Baltic Programme applications to the European Union for funding. for support and it is hoped that the major ports, “Like so many other municipalities we were ship owners and marine authorities in the countries vaguely interested but nothing actually happened”, round the Baltic Sea will work together to reduce Ulf Bingsgård maintains. He is the elected local- emissions in the sea and the atmosphere. The bodies government commissioner. “Current collaboration concerned will produce a joint standard governing with our neighbours has turned out to provide how ports deal with refuse in a sustainable man- important influences and opportunities.” ner. Standardized technical systems are needed to achieve this and the idea is that Trelleborg should Positive effects of cooperation be a pilot port. In the future the port is to be Trelleborg is a small municipality with a limited adapted so that it can fuel vessels that run on biogas. financial base. EU funding has given the munici- “There is real interest in the project among the pality opportunities for running much larger bodies concerned”, Sten Björk claims. projects than would normally have been possible. These projects have proved themselves very valu- A flagship project able to the municipality. Projects have already There is an excellent possibility that CLEANSHIP created employment opportunities, while interest will become one of the Baltic Sea’s flagship projects in environmental issues within the municipality and this is important for future initiatives. has also increased. And further projects are in “They generate interest among the countries the pipeline. Ulf Bingsgård hopes that the new surrounding the Baltic Sea as well as in other EU international contacts, their own experiences and countries. This makes it easier to promote such their proximity to the universities in and issues”, Sten explains. Malmö will put Trelleborg on the map and help The Municipality of Trelleborg was working in it to develop into a recognized knowledge centre. the spirit of the Baltic strategy before this was even “Above all it is a matter of making use of exper- established. But Sten Björk claims that the strategy tise in practical applications. We are showing that is an important marker as well as clarifying what it is possible to do something positive. It is not just a should be given priority. Work on environmental lot of talk – something real and important actually issues has changed substantially within the munici- happens.” pality in recent years. Prior to taking part in the Baltic Master project a few years ago Trelleborg had, in principle, not participated in any interna-

Nodularia, en av de cyanobakterier som orsakar algblomningarna i Östersjön.

Facts about Trelleborg´s environmental initiatives

Trelleborg has advanced from regions and the municipality acted European Union’s southern Baltic being a municipality with few con­ as a pilot region for Integrated Sea programme, Swedish and tacts in other countries around Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Polish bodies will collaborate in a the Baltic Sea to becoming a lead­ All the factors influencing the transfer of expert knowledge on ing force in international coopera­ coastal waters were mapped. environmental issues to Poland. tion. Funding from the European This project is known as WAB – Union has enabled Trelleborg to Following the success of its first Wetlands, Algae, Biogas. undertake projects which would environmental project, Trelleborg otherwise have been impossible initiated a new environmental Trelleborg has also initiated for a small local authority. As project entitled Kretsloppet which a project for cleaner shipping, Trelleborg has organized or taken was funded by the Swedish Envi­ CLEANSHIP. The municipality part in more and more collabora­ ronmental Protection Agency and has submitted an application for tive ventures, it has increased its the Ministry of the Environment. funding to the European Union’s knowledge of the environmental Under the auspices of this project Baltic Sea Regional Programme sector and established numer­ the municipality aims to reduce and the project looks like becom­ ous contacts with neighbour­ leakage of nutrients into the sea ing a flagship project designed ing countries. Contacts lead to and begin to regard the algae that to implement the EU’s Baltic Sea further projects and Trelleborg’s flourish in the shallow water and strategy. The idea of the project expertise is now sought by other that cover many of the beaches is that the major ports and other participating bodies in the coun­ as a resource. Landowners are relevant bodies around the Baltic tries around the Baltic Sea. cooperating in restoring rivers Sea should collaborate to reduced and in creating wetlands. Tests emissions into the sea and in the The starting point for Trelleborg’s are also being conducted using atmosphere. Further projects internaional collaboration was suitable machines to harvest the are in hand and the municipality the Baltic Master interregional algae. The algae will then be used hopes, in due course, that Trelle­ project which was funded by the to generate gas in a biogas plant. borg will develop into a centre of European Union’s major Baltic The next stage of the project is to expert information on the issues Sea programme for 2005–1007. export environmental expertise that they are working on. Eutrophication is a serious to other Baltic Sea countries. problem in Trelleborg’s coastal With financial support from the

Sida’s Baltic Sea Unit develops cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. We have a special assignment from the Government based on Swedish interests to support activities in the fields of the Environment & Energy, Social and Health issues and Civil Security. Our projects and activities aim at facilitating the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Karin Johansson. Text: Lena Vängstam, Text: Anna - Karin Johansson. Editor: Grön kommunikation. Fredrik Bengt Ekberg, Photo: Gröndahl, Trelleborgs Bertil Johnson, Miljöförvaltningen Sven kommun. Duveborg. Helena Layout: