CREATE - Cross-REalm modelling and assessment of Aquatic ecosystem services: Towards a science-based design of Nature-based solutions to tackle Eutrophication
Funders
Main funder
Other funders
The project CREATE has received funding from Estonian Research Council, Research council of Finland, Latvian Council of Science, Research Council of Lithuania, National Centre of Research and Development in Poland and the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme under the 2023 Joint Transnational Call of the European Partnership Water4All (Grant Agreement n°101060874).
Leaders
Despite decades of efforts to reduce pollution, the Baltic Sea still suffers from chronic eutrophication (an excess of nutrients that fuels hypoxia, fish kills, and harmful algal blooms) due to fragmented management practices and a lack of coordinated, cross-ecosystem solutions. CREATE will help bring together clear, data-driven knowledge about how different natural benefits (ecosystem services – the benefits people obtain from nature) are affected by water pollution, especially from excess nutrients. This information will be used to improve practical tools that support better decision-making, thanks to close teamwork between scientists and on-the-ground professionals. The goal is to develop nature-based solutions (actions that protect, manage, or restore ecosystems to address societal challenges while providing benefits for both people and nature) that can help reduce water pollution in the Baltic Sea area.
Project duration: 01.03.2025−29.02.2028
Cooperation
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University of Tartu (UTARTU) employs a multidisciplinary approach that combines environmental monitoring, experimental research, and advanced modelling techniques—including the development of innovative algorithms and user-friendly decision-support tools. These tools facilitate the design, implementation, and assessment of nature-based solutions (NbS) by simulating ecological and environmental dynamics across biological levels (from populations to ecosystems) and spatial scales (from local to global), under various scenarios of human activity and climate change. In close collaboration with local, national, and regional authorities, as well as practitioners and stakeholders, UTARTU ensures that scientific and ecological knowledge informs marine protected area (MPA) designation and marine spatial planning (MSP). The CREATE project team of the University of Tartu is led by Asst. Prof. Francisco R. Barboza.
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Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) is a leading Lithuanian public university specialising in social sciences, humanities, and social innovation research. With 7,500 students, including 600 international students from over 40 countries, MRU offers diverse programs in law, management, psychology, and public security. Its structure comprises four faculties and the MRU LAB network, which consists of 14 research labs. The Environmental Management Research Laboratory, led by Prof. Dr. Paulo Pereira, is the leading group in Lithuania working on mapping and assessing ecosystem services. In the CREATE Project, the MRU team, led by Dr. Miguel Inácio, will oversee WP3, developing quantitative biophysical models to map and assess freshwater ecosystem services. The team will also support all other CREATE tasks to ensure the project’s success.
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Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), founded in 1816, is the oldest agricultural and natural science university in Poland. Covering subjects ranging from natural sciences and technology to veterinary medicine and social and economic studies, it is a leading institution in many fields. Researchers from the Department of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management (Institute of Environmental Engineering) and the Centre for Climate Research are conducting the CREATE project tasks. The SGGW team is involved in all of the project’s work packages and is leading WP3, which focuses on the spatial prioritization of NBS (nature-based solutions). In this work package, we will provide overall coordination and focus on applying the SWAT+ model to assess the effectiveness of the selected NBS in mitigating eutrophication. We will also focus on the spatial prioritization of NBS using CoMOLA software in all CREATE case studies. Our team will also contribute to WP2 (Interlinkages between Ecosystem Services and Eutrophication) by modelling water and nutrient transport for the Łupawa River–Lake Gardno system in northern Poland and by supporting SWAT+ modelling activities in other case studies. The integrated modelling framework consists of the SWAT+ model for riverine ecosystems and the Delft3D model for the coastal lake ecosystem. In WP4 (Stakeholder Integration and Recommendations for Policy Uptake), we will engage with local stakeholders in the Łupawa catchment area through semi-structured interviews and surveys to understand their perceptions, knowledge, and acceptance of NBS. We will also hold workshops to co-create suitable NBS implementation scenarios.
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CREATE (Cross-REalm modelling and assessment of Aquatic ecosystem services: Towards a science-based design of Nature-based solutions to tackle Eutrophication) addresses knowledge gaps currently hampering the efficient implementation of Nature-Based Solutions) NBS targeting eutrophication in the Baltic Sea catchment area, such as the lack of integrated cross-realm modelling of ecosystem services (ES), and limited understanding of how eutrophication dynamics affect and are affected by ecosystem services across aquatic realms.
The project will identify, assess, and map key ES affected by eutrophication, revealing their interconnections. It will then prioritize and spatially align NBS to optimize ES supply, minimizing trade-offs and enhancing synergies. CREATE also fosters policy uptake by promoting NBS integration into management practices across the freshwater-coastal-marine continuum.
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CREATE will develop ES models spanning freshwater, coastal, and marine realms, accounting for complex ecosystem processes and the condition of ecosystems responsible for the supply of ES. Eutrophication dynamics will be central, enabling a dynamic assessment of ES trade-offs and synergies, overcoming the limitations of static, expert-based models. The project explicitly addresses cross-realm ES interactions, fostering integrated management.
A key aspect is the integration of spatial, temporal, and thematic scales. CREATE will harness existing datasets, including Copernicus monitoring products, Sentinel-2 and -3 images, national water monitoring databases, and scientific publications. High-resolution UAV imagery will complement these through state-of-the-art upscaling methods in selected case studies.
CREATE will ultimately integrate the aforementioned components into a spatial prioritization tool, allowing for the optimal location of NBS aimed at mitigating eutrophication. Using process-based models, the spatial prioritization tool will maximize ES synergies throughout the freshwater-coastal-marine continuum, while reducing eutrophication processes.
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CREATE applies a transdisciplinary, co-creation approach, actively engaging stakeholders from public authorities, academia, business, and civil society through a Quadruple Helix model. This ensures that local knowledge, practical needs, and policy realities shape the design and uptake of effective NBS across realms.
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A set of case studies will demonstrate the applicability of the framework developed within CREATE and serve as a focal point for stakeholder engagement. The selection of case study sites is intended to encapsulate the highly diverse eutrophication sources and dynamics along the eastern and northeastern Baltic Seas. Most importantly, selected case studies embody the notion of land-sea integration through a cross-realm view of eutrophication and NBS.
Lielupe River basin and Gulf of Riga (EE/LV/LT)
The Lielupe River drains the southern-central part of Latvia on the northern of Lithuania. The drainage basin covers 17 600 km2, an area characterised by flat terrains and a very dense river network. Thanks to fertile soils, it is mainly used for intensive agriculture, leading to severe fragmentation of semi-natural habitats, decrease of biodiversity, landscape homogenisation as well as pollution of water bodies. The Lielupe River ends in the Gulf of Riga, a particularly enclosed marine area subjected to diverse human pressures where eutrophication is one of the most severe issues threatening the unique ecosystems in the area. As connected systems, the eutrophication problem in Gulf of Riga will influence nutrient dynamics in the coastal areas of Estonia, potentially impacting their ES supply dynamics.
Kiiminkijoki river basin and Kyyrönsuo (FI)
The Finnish case study comprises two locations: Kiiminkijoki river basin in northern Finland, which is devoted to hydrological modelling activities, and Kyyrönsuo site in eastern Finland, where paludiculture as a nature-based solution will be tested. This double case allows for the integration of large-scale hydrological and nutrient load modelling with site-specific experimental evidence, enabling both the upscaling of local NBS impacts and the downscaling of basin-scale insights to guide practical implementation.
The Kiiminkijoki River drains a 3,824 km² peatland-rich basin in rural northern Ostrobothnia, where forestry, peat extraction, and small-scale agriculture have shaped the landscape. Large areas of forestry-drained peatlands coexist with former peat extraction areas, both with potential impacts on water quality and opportunities for ecological restoration and habitat recovery. Here, the CREATE team will assess the effects of restoring former peat extraction sites on water quality and other ecosystem services using hydrological models such as SWAT+. The site will also act as a hub for stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
Kyyrönsuo, a former peat cutaway site managed by the University of Eastern Finland through the SAMPO project, is being used to pilot Sphagnum moss cultivation (paludiculture) as a Nature-based Solution. In CREATE, we will use this site in close collaboration with SAMPO to assess the effects of paludiculture on water quality and to test advanced monitoring techniques. The insights gained will support the upscaling and implementation of this solution across peatland-dominated watersheds, in close cooperation with stakeholders.
Łupawa river watershed (PL)
The Łupawa river is located in northern Poland. Before draining directly to the Baltic Sea, it passes through a large, shallow coastal Lake Gardno (max. depth of 2.2 m, area of 24.7 km2). The near-coast part of the catchment, including Lake Gardno, belongs to Słowiński National Park having outstanding biodiversity status (NATURA2000 OSTOJA SŁOWIŃSKA PLH220023; Ramsar site). Lake Gardno is brackish and eutrophic. Eutrophication is mainly caused by agricultural activities in the catchment. With the water exchange rate constant of 9, the lake is strongly influenced by the river.