2026
The Loop
Team: Erica Sima, Isadora Spoerer, Olympia Karlafti
Designed while studying at Uppsala University
Challenge
The Baltic Sea is facing accelerating ecological decline due to eutrophication, biodiversity loss, climate change, and fragmented governance. Responsibility is spread across institutions and communities, creating gaps between knowledge and action that weaken collective stewardship and make recovery urgent yet complex.
Goal
To design a transformative programme that restores and protects the Baltic Sea by building shared responsibility between coastal communities, policy-makers, and society. Through integrated cultural, governance, and economic interventions, the project strengthens connection to the sea, enables co-governance, and supports sustainable livelihoods toward a healthy and thriving Baltic Sea.
Background
The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted and ecologically fragile seas in the world, threatened by eutrophication, biodiversity loss, and climate change. These challenges are deeply connected to human activity and governance across national borders, making recovery complex and urgent. The project responds to this critical situation by addressing the need for collective responsibility between coastal communities, policy, and society to restore and protect the sea.
Method
The project used a qualitative, systems-based approach combining a literature review with semi-structured interviews using targeted sampling. Data were analysed through deductive thematic analysis guided by the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Insights informed a FSSD-based backcasting workshop to develop a shared vision and strategic intervention proposals.
Method discussion
The study benefited from pilot interviews, a systematic analytical framework based on sustainability principles (cf. Braun & Clarke; Broman & Robèrt), and strong ethical considerations through informed consent and participant comfort. AI-supported transcription enabled more interviews within limited time but may have reduced analytical precision. Limitations include a small, targeted sample with potential bias, missing perspectives from non-fishing local citizens, and challenges related to time constraints, task division, and language barriers.
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Literature reviews
The literature highlights a wide range of land-based, marine-based, and system-based solutions to reduce eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, including gypsum treatment of farmland, constructed wetlands, mussel cultivation, oxygenation of bottom waters, and improved wastewater management. While these measures have helped prevent a major ecological disaster, recovery will take decades and requires sustained intervention. Research also identifies gaps in linking ecosystem health to human wellbeing and stresses the importance of ocean literacy and arts-based approaches to strengthen public awareness, emotional connection, and long-term support for marine governance.
Stakeholder interviews
Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with stakeholders at local, intermediary, and national levels, including a hobby fisherman, a small-scale fisherman, a foundation CEO, and a Member of the Swedish Parliament (Environment and Agriculture Committee). The interviews provided perspectives on current challenges, governance, and the need for stronger community engagement and shared responsibility for the Baltic Sea’s future.
Thematic analysis
Three key themes emerged from the interviews. Stakeholders described the core problem as overfishing, environmental degradation, and nutrient pollution, combined with unequal regulation and a disconnect between public debate and marine realities. As one hobby fisherman explained:
“The Baltic Sea is incredibly overfished. There are almost no predatory fish left.”
Those most affected were identified as small-scale fishers, coastal residents, and society at large. Declining fish stocks and strict regulations threaten livelihoods, while poor water quality reduces recreation, tourism, and trust in seafood safety. A small-scale fisherman noted:
“It’s almost impossible today to make a living from small-scale coastal fishing.”
Proposed solutions focused on systemic transformation through fairer fisheries regulation, stronger institutions, and economic instruments that support sustainability. The need for coordinated action was clearly expressed by a Member of Parliament:
“There is no silver bullet; we have to do everything… all these issues are interconnected.”
Backcasting workshop for strategic development
Based on the research insights, a backcasting workshop was done to generate strategic and sustainable solutions.
The workshop began by understanding the needs of coastal communities and establishing a shared vision for the future. This was followed by a baseline analysis combining insights from literature and interviews. Potential solutions were then brainstormed, and the most effective ones were prioritised to create an intervention guiding communities toward their sustainability goals.
The Loop
From the workshop, a shared vision and programme concept emerged, defined as;
A living, attractive, and healthy Baltic Sea that people are proud of, where local coastal communities collaborate, and practice responsible governance together with nature in order to thrive with the sea
To realise this vision, the workshop shaped a programme concept with long-term initiatives connecting EU, national and local action through three interconnected pillars: art and culture, policy and co-governance, and sustainable economic systems. These pillars operate in a continuous feedback loop:
Art → Policy → Economy → Community → Art
This loop enables systemic change by turning collective insights into coordinated action.
Pillar 1: Art and culture programme
This pillar uses art and cultural practices to strengthen emotional connection, wellbeing, and collective responsibility for the Baltic Sea. A national art initiative in collaboration with libraries invites coastal citizens to explore and express their relationship with the sea, inspired by projects such as TBA21–Academy. Coastal spaces are activated as social and healing environments through shared activities by the water, drawing on traditions like Kallbadhus. Annual community celebrations, inspired by events such as the Stockholm Water Festival and the Thames Festival, make progress visible and reinforce pride and shared stewardship of the sea.
Pillar 2: Policy intervention and co-governance
This pillar strengthens democratic and sustainable governance of the Baltic Sea through shared decision-making and transparent policy processes. Local co-governance councils bring together communities, fishers, scientists, and authorities to jointly shape marine policies, inspired by models such as Swedish Water Councils (Vattenråd). Policy labs embedded in cultural and public spaces make governance more accessible and participatory, while fair fisheries regulation ensures ecological protection alongside small-scale livelihoods, guided by principles from SSF Guidelines in Europe. Together, these actions build trust, reduce conflict, and increase the legitimacy of marine governance.
Pillar 3: Economic system for sustainability
This pillar creates economic conditions that support long-term recovery of the Baltic Sea by aligning financial incentives with ecological responsibility. A Baltic Sea economic framework combines European and national funding to reward sustainable practices and apply the polluter-pays principle, inspired by tools such as Ensuring that polluters pay. Local action funds empower communities through small grants for restoration, education, and innovation, building on models like LEADER/CLLD. These efforts are reinforced through everyday learning spaces in schools, libraries, and public venues, where knowledge about the sea becomes part of daily life and normalizes sustainable behaviour.
Implementation plan
The implementation of The Loop was planned using the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle to test, evaluate, and refine solutions through continuous improvement.
Image sources:
1. © 2021 by Mattias Helge, 2. © 2019 by Mihály Köles, 3. © 2016 by Jon Flobrant, 4. © 2017 by Charles Deluvio, 5. © 2019 by Lena Tasse, 6. © 2016 by Linda Romppala, 7. © 2021 by Gytis M, 8. © 2026 by The Natural Step, "Approach: Accelerating Change" 9. © 2018 by Steven Erixon, 10. © 2025 by Anya Richter 11. © 2021 by Christina Wocintechchat, 12. © 2025 by Christian Lue, 13. © 2026 by Emma Thorman