Making strategies happen –

motivation and tools for a local actor

Kajsa Rosqvist

City of Helsinki Environment Centre/ CITYWATER project

EU:n Itämeri-strategian kansallinen sidosryhmätilaisuus

Meren pelastaminen –teemaryhmä

5.6.2015 Turku

11.6.2015

The responsibilityof local actors in water protection is HUGE

The gains for municipalities from healthy waters are HUGE

WHY aren’t then all municipalities acting HUGE?

Challenges related to municipal water protection work

• Commitment – getting your message through

• Money

• Monitoring of own activies and impacts

• Lonely work – support, examples and tools

THE BALTIC SEA CHALLLENGE NETWORK

11.6.2015 5

…an activation tool and driving force for the Cities of Helsinki and Turku

to save the sea!

A network with a common vision

A clean, productive and shared Baltic Sea

Actions beyond minimum requirement

Local waters - Local actions – Local gains

SAMPLE OF ACTIONS IN HELSINKI AND TURKU

Two human resources for coordination of the networkWaste water management of ferries, cruisers, charter boats and leisure boatsHelsinki (2008) and Turku (2009) adopted Storm water wtrategiesTurku: Establishment of the Protection fund for the Archipelago SeaHelsinki: Donated professorship for Economics of Baltic Sea ProtectionMonitoring: State of the sea survey 2013 & 2014 by R/V Muikku

Cities as an example for farmers

Organic farming

Wetlands & buffers zones

Direct sowing

Plant cover on arable lands during winter

Agricultural land rental contracts - requirements on water protection

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TO MEET THE CHALLENGES IN WATER PROTECTION

The Baltic Sea Challenge provides

A framework and common goals to getpolitical and internal cross-sectoralcommitment in the cities

A network for support and motivation frompeers, sharing of work, visibility, best practices

Support for an action plan for yourorganisation enabeling monitoring of ownactivites, reallocation of resources and newresources

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At least one international event annuallyGood examples, e.g. Bank of actionsCommunication materials, e.g. Newsletter

www.citywater.fi

Tools!

2. Why should a local actor

invest in water protection?

What are the impacts, costs

and benefits of actions.

Providing financial and

ecological arguments for

water protection.

1. Realization of natural storm water management solutions:experiences on municipal decision-making and

implementation

A shift in thinking – from a problem to a resource,

letting the water be present instead of leading it away

Aims with the CITYWATER storm water solutions:

• water quality improvement and retention

• a natural, cost-effective and safe solution suiting the landscape

• pilot value: testing a best practice in an urban environment

Before After

Water course in Tallinn Botanic Gardencollecting waters from a residential area

Biofiltration in the center of The City of Helsinki

Storm waters

collected

from a trafic

center

Plan and mechanism of biofiltration

11.6.2015 Page 16

Experiences -> tools for municipal water protection

In support for cities experiences and recommendations from the process will be collected

• City internal work - > form a cross-sectoral working group for support and commitment

• Consider (especially from project duration perspective)– Land ownership– City planning processes– Permits, statements and approval– Environmental impacts

• Budget – resource allocation (project/ investment programs)• What should be done when: Project phases (preface, planning,

construction) • Etc.

2. Cost-benefit analysis –arguments for water protection

• Water protection costs – But how much? And how big are the nutrient reductions? What can municipalities gain and how to take all benefits into account?

• Provides information to support decision-making in order to allocate resources efficiently

• All relevant impacts of the entire span of the measure or policy are taken into account

• Impacts are given monetary values, discounted to present values and summed up together

• The result of the CBA is the net present value (NPV): is the project socially worthwhile and is there a potential of increment in social welfare

Potential positive and

negative impacts of natural storm

management

Planning and construction

costs

Maintenance costs

Improved state of water systems: reduced solid

matter and nutrients causing

eutrophication

Traditional cost-efficiency- cheapest measure to achieve one target

Potential positive and

negative impacts of natural storm

management

Planning and construction

costs

Maintenance costs

Opportunity cost of required

land

Avoided flood damages

Avoided overflow floods

Avoided health risks

Avoided problems in

pump stations and wastewater

treatment plants

Avoided construction

and maintenance of

storm water dwells and pipes

Reduced transportation

of snowRecreational benefits for

citizens

Improved air quality

Reduced erosion

Improved state of water systems:

reduced solid matter and nutrients causing

eutrophication

Improved state of ecosystems

due to reduced harmful

substances and trash

Increased biodiversity

Increased biodiversity

CBA – a tool for identifying all impacts (especially overlooked benefits)

Five case studies from Baltic Sea Challenge network

Source: Google Maps (modified)

Pori

Turku

Lahti

Helsinki

Liepaja

Pictures by:

Suomen Ilmakuva Oy & Pori Water (Pori)

Eliisa Punttila (Turku)

Vilmars Bogovics, Liepaja Water (Liepaja)

Eila Palojärvi; City of Lahti (Lahti)

Mikael Kaplar / Studio POiNT (Helsinki)

Main steps of the CBA1. Specify the measures to be studied

2. Decide whose benefits and costs count

3. Identify all impacts, positive and negative

4. Predict the impacts quantitatively over the life of the project

5. Monetize all impacts

6. Discount benefits and costs to obtain present values

7. Compute the net present value for each measure

8. Perform sensitivity analysis to determine the uncertainty

9. Make a recommendation for municipalities

Recommendations -> tools for municipal water protection

1. Find the entire study report on www.citywater.fi

2. Implement different kinds of water protection measures and, when possible, prefer measures having connection to other fields of environmental protection

3. Put more effort in water protection research and data compilation (monitoring)

4. Use the cost-benefit analysis as a tool in water protection, if not in detail for smaller measures at least as a way of thinking in order to identify all impacts (especially benefits)

3. Environmental communication: Awarenss raising and strategical communication

• Survey among citizens in the Baltic countries

– Representative survey among 1500 persons (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)

• Survey of local municipalities

– Web-based survey among the coastal municipalities of Estonia (26), Latvia (10), Lithuania (4) and Finland (32)

Communication strategy for municipalities

In conclusion so far -> strategical communication as a tool

for municipal water protectionCitizens• Interest is high but readiness to participate is moderate• Awareness not detailed, lack of knowledge on how to contribute• Local municipality an important actor for citizen

Muinicipalities• Responsibility felt for encouraging activity• Responsibility felt for raising awareness and engaging citizens• Lack of experience on communication even if the pollution risk

related to citizens are perceived as important

Role of communication -> empower citizen? Communication survey as a tool (ready in September 2015)

In conclusion on meeting challenges…

Found in August 2015 on www.citywater.fi

• Commitment & convincing: Find something concrete for politicians to commit to -a framework and common goals, city internal cross-sectoral working groups, cost-benefit analyses for arguments and impact

• Money: Find a framework to allocate resources in, project funding, relate work to city strategies

• Monitoring: An own action plan? Incorporated in projects? Thesis work?

• Lonely work: Join a network for support form peers -motivation, examples, tools

…so never stop communicating, networking, spreading and learning!

The CITYWATER project www.citywater.fiThe Baltic Sea Challenge www.balticseachallenge.net/The Baltic Sea Challenge in Facebook www.facebook.com/TheBalticSeaChallenge

Thank you!kajsa.rosqvist@hel.fi