7 November, 2007

SHETLAND-based North Sea environmental pressure group KIMO is spreading its influence into the Baltic Sea region with new members from Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The organisation agreed to set up an International Baltic Forum at a recent meeting in Simrisham, on Sweden's Baltic coast.

KIMO was established back in 1990 by a Norwegian, a Danish and two Scottish local authorities, including Shetland Islands Council, in response to increasing pollution in the North Sea.

Since then the group has grown to represent 110 local authorities in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Faroe, The Netherlands and Ireland.

KIMO secretary John Mouat said: "I can see many parallels between the situation in the North Sea that led to the formation of KIMO back in 1990 and the situation in the Baltic today.

"With almost 100 million inhabitants living around the Baltic and challenges such as over fertilisation, coastal erosion, chemical and nuclear emissions, algal blooms, and increased shipping there is the same need for municipalities to take action.

"As pollution obeys no boundaries it is essential to develop international co-operation to tackle these problems at the local as well as the international level and I am happy that so many municipalities share this view."

Simrisham mayor Christer Akej added: "This is one of the world's most sensitive waters and is increasingly under pressure from coastal development, shipping and over utilisation of its resources.

"We believe it is essential that those who live closest to the sea, the municipalities, take action to return it to a healthy state.

"Therefore we are delighted that KIMO accepted our invitation to establish a KIMO International Baltic Forum and hope that all municipalities around the Baltic Sea will join the forum in the future."