Scientific Advisory Board for the Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection 2030 Established
Research institutes support the state in implementing Baltic Sea protection
“With the Baltic Sea Protection Action Plan 2030, we adopted the most ambitious programme for the protection of the Baltic Sea in the history of Schleswig-Holstein last year,” said the Minister-President at the opening of the inaugural session. “Protecting the Baltic Sea can only succeed through joint efforts – with the people of Schleswig-Holstein, with fishers and farmers, conservationists and those working in tourism – and with experts from the scientific community. Thanks to them, we know quite precisely what the current state of the Baltic Sea is,” Günther continued. Today, the state government is taking another important step towards implementing the action plan. “I am very pleased that you, as representatives of internationally renowned research institutions, have accepted our invitation to join the Scientific Advisory Board. From now on, your expertise and the latest scientific insights will support our state government in its efforts to protect the Baltic Sea – for that, we are very grateful.”
The scientific advisory board brings together 16 experts covering the fields of marine ecology, dumped munitions, geology, climate, tourism, economics, fisheries, agriculture and social sciences. They represent Ƶ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (Ƶ), Kiel University, the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the Institute for Tourism and Spa Research in Northern Europe (NIT), and the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM).
“This interdisciplinary approach enables us to understand complex ecological, economic and social interconnections and to develop targeted measures that will help us to protect the Baltic Sea more effectively,” the Minister-President said.
“Biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change – the three global environmental crises are concentrated in the Baltic Sea like under a magnifying glass. With the Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection 2030, the state government has initiated an effective protection programme. The advisory board will provide an important platform for linking science, administration and politics in support of a vibrant and healthy Baltic Sea. We in Schleswig-Holstein love our Baltic Sea – and together we will treat it better in future,” said Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt.
The members of the advisory board elected Professor Dr Ursula Siebert from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, as Chair. “I am sincerely grateful for the trust placed in me to lead the Scientific Advisory Board for the Baltic Sea Protection Action Plan 2030. This board offers a great opportunity to advise decision-makers and the public at an interdisciplinary scientific level and thus help pave the way for a healthier Baltic Sea,” said Siebert.
Professor Dr Thorsten Reusch of Ƶ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel was elected Vice-Chair of the board. “I look forward to working with this highly competent interdisciplinary team. This is an important opportunity to contribute our collective expertise as an independent scientific body to political processes. We share the responsibility of preserving the Baltic Sea ecosystem with all its diverse functions – despite very challenging conditions such as the legacy of heavy overfishing and ocean temperatures rising three times faster than the global average,” Reusch said.
The Scientific Advisory Board will meet at least once a year.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection:
- Prof. Prof. h. c. Dr Ursula Siebert, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW Büsum)
- Prof. Dr Thorsten B. Reusch, Ƶ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Research Division 3: Marine Ecology
- Prof. Dr Jens Greinert, Ƶ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Research Division 2: Marine Biogeochemistry
- Dr Thomas Martin, Ƶ Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Research Division 1: Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics
- Prof. Dr Christian Winter, Kiel University, Institute of Geosciences
- Prof. Dr Stefan Garthe, Research and Technology Centre West Coast, Kiel University
- Prof. Dr Konrad Ott, Department of Philosophy, Kiel University
- Prof. Dr Nicola Fohrer, Kiel University, Institute for Natural Resource Management, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Management
- Prof. Dr Marie-Catherine Riekhof, Kiel University, Political Economy of Resource Management with a focus on Marine and Coastal Resources
- Prof. Dr Nele Matz-Lück, Kiel University, Executive Director of the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law
- Prof. Dr Torben Tiedemann, Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Economics
- Prof. Dr Wilfried Rickels, Kiel Institute for the World Economy
- Dr Dirk Schmücker, Institute for Tourism and Spa Research in Northern Europe GmbH
- Dr Joachim Harms, German Marine Research Alliance e.V.
- Andreas Burmester, Maritime Coordinator of the Schleswig-Holstein State Government
- Dr Juliane Rumpf, State Commissioner for Nature Conservation, Ministry for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature of Schleswig-Holstein
About: Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection 2030
As part of the Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection 2030 (Aktionsplan Ostseeschutz, APOS), adopted by the state government on 19 March 2024, numerous measures are being implemented to protect the sea. 12.5 per cent of Schleswig-Holstein’s share of the Baltic Sea is being designated as strictly protected areas. These are intended to serve as refuges and resting zones for animals and plants. To safeguard biodiversity, measures include the restoration of reef structures and seagrass meadows.
To reduce nutrient inputs, the state reached an agreement with the agricultural sector at the end of 2024 to supplement the Fertiliser Ordinance. The aim is to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agriculture by ten per cent by 2030 and by a further ten per cent by 2035. This corresponds to a reduction of 400 tonnes of nitrogen and 13 tonnes of phosphorus by 2035 – about six per cent of current loads. In addition, municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge limits are being aligned with state-of-the-art standards, and funding for phosphate precipitation and nitrogen elimination is being continued and expanded.
To address the issue of dumped munitions in the Baltic Sea, the federal government launched an immediate action programme in 2024 and treated the first six tonnes of recovered munitions. In future, offshore platforms will be constructed to carry out the entire process – from detection to recovery and disposal – directly at sea.

Constitutive meeting at Ƶ: At the invitation of Minister President Daniel Günther, the Scientific Advisory Board for the Action Plan for Baltic Sea Protection 2030 was founded.
Photo: Patrick Kraft, State Chancellery SH

Sixteen experts from leading European research institutes and the state of Schleswig-Holstein have been appointed by the Minister-President to provide scientific support for the implementation of the Action Plan for the Protection of the Baltic Sea (APOS).
Photo: Patrick Kraft, State Chancellery SH

‘The three global environmental crises of species extinction, pollution and climate change are taking place in the Baltic Sea as if under a burning glass,’ said Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (centre). The action plan is intended to protect the heavily polluted sea.
Photo: Patrick Kraft, State Chancellery S-H