Act for waters

Follow the implementation of water and marine management measures

The aim of water and marine management is to protect, enhance and restore bodies of surface water and groundwater with the objective of achieving good water status for water bodies and the Baltic Sea. This website provides information on the implementation of water and marine management measures and related needs for those interested in water protection.

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For the purposes of water management planning, Mainland Finland is divided into seven river basin districts, each of which has its own river basin management plan. Åland constitutes the eighth river basin district and draws up a river basin management plan of its own. These plans form the basis for water protection in each river basin district. The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and the Government of Åland prepare a programme of measures for their respective regions, which provide the information necessary to achieve and maintain good water status. Programmes of measures under marine strategies include an assessment of the current state of the marine environment, the targets set to achieve good environmental status and a programme of measures. The programme of measures of Finland’s marine strategy covers Finland’s territorial marine waters in their entirety from the shoreline to the outer border of the economic zone. The Government of Åland prepares a programme of measures for its own territorial waters.

The current six-year programme period for the management of waters and the marine environment (2016–2021) was launched at the beginning of 2016. The implementation of the measures was evaluated at the end of 2018.

Grouping of measures

Vesienhoidon toimenpiteet

River basin management measures directly target surface and groundwater and their river basin.
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Merenhoidon toimenpiteet

Marine management measures aim to improve the status of the marine environment and reduce the pressure on it.
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Let the money flow!

Nosta rahat pintaan

Learn about the financing and finance applications for the river basin and marine programs of measures.

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Riven basin management plans cover

28 815 km2

Lakes

The Finnish marine management plan covers

82 000 km2

Maritime areas (territorial water and the economic zone)