Overview

• The 'Aktionsplan Ostseeschutz' will designate three new marine protected areas covering nearly 8% of Schleswig-Holstein’s Baltic Sea, with formal procedures starting in May 2025 and concluding in 2026.
• Existing Natura2000 areas, covering 4.5% of the Baltic Sea, will receive stricter protection under the plan.
• Farmers in the catchment area must reduce nitrogen and phosphate inputs by 10% by 2030 and 20% by 2035 to combat nutrient pollution.
• Public engagement is central to the plan, with events like the 'Aktiv für die Ostsee-Markt' encouraging citizen participation.
• Conservation groups call for stronger measures, including bans on fishing and loud watersports in strictly protected zones, citing declining fish stocks and expanding dead zones.