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.

Objective

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

Solution

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.

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

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

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

Get engage

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 March 2025

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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

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:

Key technological innovations

GREENHOOD - A European Initiative to Rebalance Nutrient Flows for a Sustainable Future

GREENHOOD Webinar: Rebalancing nutrient flows in regional ecosystems across Europe

Partners

Join the GREENHOOD Community!

Archipelago Sea Basin

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:

Key technological innovations

Insights from Archipelago Sea Basin

GREENHOOD - A European Initiative to Rebalance Nutrient Flows for a Sustainable Future

GREENHOOD Webinar: Rebalancing nutrient flows in regional ecosystems across Europe

Partners

Join the GREENHOOD Community!

Insights from
Archipelago Sea Basin