Date: November 16–17, 2023
Venue: Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, Tallinn
Background
Cross-boundary cooperation in marine science has served as a bridge between nations and countries for decades. This cooperation has been active across the Gulf of Finland for more than 50 years and has led to major progress in our understanding of water bodies of this kind. It is now time to jointly discuss new developments and to examine how to spread the gathered knowledge and experience more widely. This leads us to the focus of this event: The future of Gulf of Finland co-operation: A nucleus to transboundary nurture of the marine environment in transition.
The Gulf of Finland Science Days in Tallinn 2023 is unfolding within a transformed political landscape. Following Russia's incursion into Ukraine, cooperation with the Russian scientific community is virtually impossible and collaborative unfeasible.
In the light of these changes, numerous ideas have emerged on how to advance and safeguard our critical work on the Gulf of Finland in a new political environment and possibly expand it to other semi-enclosed water bodies with shared responsibility of several countries. Scientists engaged in research within the Gulf of Finland and its associated water bodies, including the main basins of the Baltic Sea and neighbouring seas, are invited to convene in Tallinn to exchange experience and explore strategies for fostering future collaborations in this evolving context.
Topics open for discussion:
1. Expanding the scope of Gulf of Finland collaboration: Exploring the possibility of gradually extending cooperation to encompass adjacent marine areas and identifying potential vulnerable and beneficial regions.
2. Thematic directions for cooperation: Exploring emerging areas of interest and reconsidering key themes such as biodiversity, geodiversity, climate change, eutrophication, marine pollution and litter, harmful substances, fisheries, and maritime spatial planning.
3. Diversifying collaboration methods: Discussing the modalities of collaboration, including regular science gatherings, engaging other players in the area, leveraging online publications, and innovative platforms, among others.
We encourage you to submit papers on topics of your own choice addressing questions concerning the future of the Gulf of Finland and adjacent sea areas. Ideas of workshops during the Science days are welcome, too.
Questions:
Content of the conference: Ljudmila Vesikko, ljudmila.Vesikko@syke.fi
Practical issues: GoF 2023 secretariat, Terje Tuisk, terje.tuisk@akadeemia.ee