Archipelago Sea Basin GREENHOOD

Coordinating partner

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

location_on Location Archipelago Sea Basin, Finland

The Archipelago Sea is a shallow basin with over 40,000 islands, retaining water from multiple river catchments. The region faces significant environmental challenges, primarily nutrient loading from agricultural activities, leading to eutrophication and water quality deterioration.

Challenges

The basin's ecological condition is moderate overall, but its rivers are in poor condition due to high nutrient loads, primarily from agriculture.

Key factors contributing to nutrient loading:
- Agriculture covers approximately 240,000 ha (28% of the land area).
- 80% of farms focus on crop and plant production.
- Livestock production, mainly pigs and poultry, is concentrated in the northern and western parts.
- High risk of erosion due to clay-dominant soils.
- Historical phosphorus accumulation in soils from past fertilisation practices.
The Archipelago Sea Basin is Finland’s only remaining significant pollution site (Hot Spot) as listed by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM).

Efforts needed to reduce nutrient loading:

Redistribution of manure phosphorus to balance fertilisation across fields.
Erosion control measures, such as green winter cover and water protection zones.
Increased use of soil amendments to retain nutrients in fields.
Better management of nutrient runoff from forestry.
Enhanced nutrient recycling from sewage sludge.

Support

Finland’s

Archipelago

Sea

Programme

by:

Reducing nutrient loading into the basin.
Removing the HELCOM Hot Spot status.
Livestock production, mainly pigs and poultry, is concentrated in the northern and western parts.
Developing solutions to enhance nutrient recycling from manure and sewage sludge.
Increasing the use of soil amendments for improved nutrient retention.

Aerial drone photo of beautiful island bay with blue clear water and boat. Saaristomeri. Finland

A

set

of

targeted

measures

aims

to

restore

the

basin’s

ecological

balance,

including:

Producing bio-based fertilisers from manure and sewage sludge.
Expanding the use of soil amendments to minimise nutrient losses.
Enhancing nutrient budget monitoring through improved models.
Supporting policy development for nutrient recycling incentives.
Providing practical support to farms and businesses to adopt sustainable solutions.

Small village with red buildings in Finnish archipelago sea

Technological approach

Key technological innovations

The project focuses on processing nutrient-rich biomasses to develop bio-based fertilisers.
The most relevant resources include livestock manure and sewage sludge.

Pelletised poultry manure

Pelletisation of poultry manure, tested under the GREENHOOD project, to improve fertiliser efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

Transportable bio-based fertilisers

Manure processing for transportable bio-based fertilizers with a concentrated nutrient profile.

Field validation & risk assessment

Research and field trials to assess the effectiveness of these solutions and mitigate potential risks.

Get engaged

Stakeholders, researchers, and businesses are invited to collaborate in advancing sustainable nutrient management solutions for the Archipelago Sea Basin . Find out how you can contribute to ongoing initiatives and policy developments.

Get involved

Publication

20 mars 2025

50
Views

61
Downloads

GREENHOOD Webinar: Rebalancing nutrient flows in regional ecosystems across Europe

GREENHOOD hosted its first introductory webinar on 20 March 2025. The event was designed to showcase the comprehensive...

DOI 10.5281/zenodo.15056374

05 februar 2025

38
Views

35
Downloads

GREENHOOD Press Release: A European Initiative to Rebalance Nutrient Flows for a Sustainable Future

Press release for the launch of the GREENHOOD project, a four-year Horizon Europe Innovation Action aimed at developing...

DOI 10.5281/zenodo.14809181

Partners

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Subcontractor

The basin's ecological condition is moderate overall, but its rivers are in poor condition due to high nutrient loads, primarily from agriculture.

Support

Finland’s

Archipelago

Sea

Programme

by:

A

set

of

targeted

measures

aims

to

restore

the

basin’s

ecological

balance,

including: