ABSTRACT
The Baltic Sea is one of the most studied seas in the world. However, despite the awareness of the threats to the Baltic Sea environment and early management initiatives, the major threats still remain. The combination of natural conditions and anthropogenic stressors have made management efforts difficult to evaluate and therefore improve. The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is the intergovernmental organization charged with the task to govern the Baltic Sea. Using a science-based approach, HELCOM has managed to be adaptive, but their management efforts have been a constant uphill struggle, caused primarily by the slow ecosystem response. Recent developments in conjunction with the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, however, have strengthened the formal structures that allow for adaptiveness. But there is still room for improvements. Such improvements would be the inclusion of a variety of actors representing different interests, levels and scales; continuous evaluation of the management system; and evaluation of implemented interventions. This improvement of the adaptiveness would render the governance system more efficient. Further management responses could also be made more accurately and the response time shortened, which would benefit not only the environmental conditions of the Baltic Sea but also its users.
