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.

Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSA) are special areas in world's oceans that serve important purposes, in one way or another, to support the healthy functioning of oceans and the many services that they provide. Following the voluntary commitment from HELCOM Contracting Parties at the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2017, HELCOM started the process of identifying EBSAs in the Baltic Sea. The February 2018 EBSA workshop resulted in a proposal for areas for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to consider during the later half of 2018. Nine Baltic marine areas were described by the workshop participants as ecologically or biologically significant, including five transboundary areas covering waters of two or more countries. The described EBSAs extend into 14 of the 17 Baltic Sea sub-basins. Altogether, they cover 23% of the Baltic Sea, slightly higher than the 19% the average in other areas of the world. The described EBSAs are: - Northern Bothnian Bay - Kvarken Archipelago - Åland Sea, Åland Islands and the Archipelago Sea of Finland - Eastern Gulf of Finland - Inner Sea of West Estonian Archipelago - Southeastern Baltic Sea Shallows - Southern Gotland Harbour Porpoise Area - Fehmarn Belt - Fladen and Stora and Lilla Middelgrund. This dataset contains borders of these 9 areas and related attribute information.

This dataset was prepared within the COMPLETE project (Completing management options in the Baltic Sea Region to reduce risk of invasive species introduction by shipping, 2017-2021), funded by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, includes partner institutions from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden, as well as HELCOM (https://www.balticcomplete.com/). The dataset includes only cleaning companies, which offer capture and filtration of the cleaning waste according the COMPLETE project recommendations. The administrations of the ports have to be contacted to check if cleaning is permitted and what requirements for a cleaning have to be fulfilled. There is included data layer of effective, environmentally sustainable, and appropriate antifouling systems for ships and boats operating in the Baltic Sea and summary of aspects concerning IWC of commercial ships and leisure boats. All information is without guarantee. We endeavour to ensure that the information presented here is complete, but despite regular follow-up checks and research, we cannot guarantee it. If a company is not listed, you can contact us any time and we will check whether it is included in the database and in the map. Our contacts: biofouling@bsh.de; solvita.strake@lhei.lv