Summary Extraction of the Natura 2000 spatial dataset by EEA (https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/natura-12). The dataset is "Natura 2000 public end 2020" spatial dataset (Published: June 2021) downloaded from EEA website in 1 December 2021 and extracted areas that are within or proximity of the Baltic sea coastline dataset. Description Natura 2000 is the key instrument to protect biodiversity in the European Union. It is an ecological network of protected areas, set up to ensure the survival of Europe's most valuable species and habitats. Natura 2000 is based on the 1979 Birds Directive and the 1992 Habitats Directive. The green infrastructure it provides safeguards numerous ecosystem services and ensures that Europe's natural systems remain healthy and resilient.

This dataset includes HELCOM subbasin division lines as defined in http://www.helcom.fi/Documents/Action%20areas/Monitoring%20and%20assessment/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy.pdf. Subbasin divisioning is indicated as lines in this dataset.

Summary The CCM2 database covers the entire European continent, including the Atlantic islands, Iceland and Turkey. It includes a hierarchical set of river segments and catchments based on the Strahler order, a lake layer and structured hydrological feature codes based on the Pfafstetter system. Description This dataset is a subset of Catchment Characterisation and Modelling (CCM) data version 2.1 provided by EU Joint Research Centre (JRC). The CCM2 database covers the entire European continent, including the Atlantic islands, Iceland and Turkey. It includes a hierarchical set of river segments and catchments based on the Strahler order, a lake layer and structured hydrological feature codes based on the Pfafstetter system. For further details, see http://ccm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/php/index.php?action=view=23 The lake data contained in CCM2 Geodatabase table LAKES was clipped with Baltic Sea catchment area by HELCOM secretariat to display lakes within Baltic Sea area. Copyright Statement: The proprietary rights and copyright of the CCM River and Catchment data remain with the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC). Reproduction for non-commercial purposes is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. Commercial use is not permitted without prior written consent of the JRC. Reports, articles, papers, scientific and non-scientific works of any form, including tables, maps, or any other kind of output, in printed or electronic form, based in whole or in part on the data supplied, must contain an acknowledgement of the form: CCM River and Catchment Database © European Commission - JRC, 2007 as well as a reference to: Vogt, J.V. et al. (2007): A pan-European River and Catchment Database. European Commission - JRC, Luxembourg, (EUR 22920 EN) 120 pp.

Summary Under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971), each Contracting Party undertakes to designate at least one wetland site for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”). There are over 2,000 “Ramsar Sites” on the territories of over 160 Ramsar Contracting Parties across the world. For more information on the Convention, please visit the Ramsar website http://www.ramsar.org. The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) provides online information on wetlands that have been designated as internationally important. All Site information is provided by the Contracting Parties to the Convention and is managed by the Ramsar Secretariat. Responsibility for the accuracy of the data lies with the Administrative Authority of the Party in which the Ramsar Site is located. The Ramsar Secretariat provides open access to the RSIS and its data, to promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands. If you are interested in an overview of the Ramsar Sites network, or are looking for information on a specific Site, please visit the Explore Sites page. You will find: a searchable database of Ramsar Sites, which holds information on the wetland types, ecology, land uses, threats, hydrological values of each Site as well as spatial information downloadable copies of Ramsar Information Sheets (RISs) for each site which have been provided by the Contracting Parties , including maps and supplementary information, Site summaries, and exportable data sets; and digital (GIS) boundaries of Sites, where available. For any further questions, comments or other inquiries about the RSIS, please contact the Ramsar Secretariat at ramsar@ramsar.org. Description This dataset displays Ramsar site polygon areas downloaded from https://rsis.ramsar.org/ in 17.2.2016. The dataset was subsetted by selecting only the sites that are withing Baltic Sea drainage area and projected to ETRS89LAEA by the HELCOM Secretariat.

This dataset includes assessment units in scale 2. HELCOM Subbasins 2022 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins) as defined in the http://www.helcom.fi/Documents/Action%20areas/Monitoring%20and%20assessment/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy.pdf.

This dataset includes assessment units in scale 1. HELCOM Marine area 2022 (No division: the whole Baltic Sea encompassing the entire HELCOM area) as defined in the http://www.helcom.fi/Documents/Action%20areas/Monitoring%20and%20assessment/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy.pdf.

Input of impulsive anthropogenic sound includes impulsive events from 2011-2016 • Seismic surveys (HELCOM-OSPAR Registry; national data call submissions as lines in the folder of data) • Explosions (HELCOM-OSPAR Registry) • Pile driving (HELCOM-OSPAR Registry) • Airguns (HELCOM-OSPAR Registry) For the different event types, numeric intensity value was used to represent the pressure as categorized in HELCOM-OSPAR Impulsive noise registry. All nationally reported seismic surveys were given intensity values “Very low” (0.25) - Very low (0.25) - Low (0.5) - Medium (0.75) - High (1) The impact distance has not been taken into account due to the different nature of separate datasets used for the pressure layer. We acknowledge that e.g. pile driving and airguns may impact up to 20 km from the source event. The spread of the sound wave depends on the sound frequency, water salinity, temperature and density.

This dataset includes assessment units in scale 4 for eutrophication. HELCOM Subbasins with coastal WFD water types of water bodies 2022 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins and further division into coastal and off-shore areas and division of the coastal areas by WFD water types or water bodies) as defined in the http://www.helcom.fi/Documents/Action%20areas/Monitoring%20and%20assessment/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy/Monitoring%20and%20assessment%20strategy.pdf.

Summary Unesco Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Biosphere reserves in the Baltic Sea area (in 1998) and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Description Dataset contains the Unesco Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Biosphere reserves in the Baltic Sea area (in 1998). Biosphere Reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally recognized, nominated by national governments and remain under sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as 'living laboratories' for testing out and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. The source of this data set was 'Baltic Pipeline System: Environmental Impact on the Baltic Sea' by Tacis services DG IA, European Commission. The dataset has later been amended with UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See attribute table for details. For more information about marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea, see: http://www.helcom.fi/environment2/biodiv/en_GB/bspas/.

This dataset is built from following Human activities datasets: • http://metadata.helcom.fi/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/81c917ea-492d-48e2-9f00-e1bb7fe3e4fc • http://metadata.helcom.fi/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4fcd51dd-b8be-4e83-8cad-37c566782e8f The game hunting of seabirds data (see separate metadata): The total number of hunted seabirds were averaged over 2011-2015 (number of hunted seabirds / year). The area of the reporting unit was used to calculate the number of hunted seabirds / km2 and the data was converted to 1km x 1km grid. The predator control of seabirds data (see separate metadata): The total number of hunted cormorants were averaged over 2011-2015 (number of hunted cormorants / year). The area of the reporting unit was used to calculate the number of hunted cormorants / km2 and the data was converted to 1km x 1km grid. The two datasets were first separately log transformed and then summed, to get the total value for each grid cell. Zero values were given to all grid cells with no reported seabird hunting activity. The layer was normalized.