The Baltic Sea Living Lab focuses on monitoring socio-economic and environmental variables and ecosystem services (Blue foods in particular) in the coastal Eastern and Western Gotland Basin in the Baltic Sea.

Our key objectives in the Baltic Sea Living Lab are to:

• Improve the monitoring, understanding, and reporting of seagrass, macroalgae, invertebrates and fish, using new monitoring methods for a more holistic understanding of the coastal zone while aiming to Replace, Refine and Reduce (3R) the impact on animals in environmental monitoring;
• Explore multiple drivers and/or hazards that contribute to societal and/or environmental change (both positive and negative);
• Develop the relevant Biology & Ecosystems EOVs through inclusion of socio-economic variables and integration of more environmental variables.

Through its work, the Baltic Sea Living Lab will demonstrate, for example, the importance of coincident data collection of habitats and food resources, and explore future visions of socio-ecological approaches to coastal monitoring. Citizen science observations and local ecological knowledge will be used to gain a better understanding  of the coastal environment around the island of Gotland. 

_{Photo credit: Lina Mtwana Nordlund}

The Baltic Sea Living Lab is collaborating closely with the Toscan Archipelago Living Lab, the Atlantic Living Lab and the Marine Organic Carbon Atlas Living Lab. 

Main EOVs studied in the Living Lab:

(Click on the EOV name to access the corresponding GOOS EOV Specification Sheet if available)

 Seagrass cover and composition

Macroalgae canopy cover and composition

Fish abundance and distribution

Invertebrate abundance and distribution (EOV Specification Sheet under development)