Botnia Atlantica Project wins "EU in my Region Storytelling Contest"

The Botnia Atlantica project Econnect has won the prestigious “EU in my Region Storytelling Contest”.  The aim of the Econnect project is to visualize the probable effects of climate change on the aquatic environment in the Gulf of Bothnia. That is done by producing a comprehensive map of future distribution scenarios of underwater biotopes and keystone species by applying geographic modelling methods. The geographic models are based on future climatic scenarios from the Swedish meteorological and hydrological institute (SMHI) and the Finish meteorological institutes (FMI). The goal is to predict the occurrence of and connectivity between biotopes and keystone species by the year 2100. The project also investigates how climate change affects important marine ecosystem services in the region.

The main goal is that the Econnect project is to help us understand the effects of climate change and convey important information that can be used to improve societal planning. The results are also accessible to the people living in the area.

The Econnect project is an ongoing Botnia-Atlantica VA project. Project partners are The County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, The County Administrative Board of Västernorrland, Parks & Wildlife Finland and South Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.