Restoration Guöviken is a project that investigates and promotes suitable measures to improve water quality in a coastal bay in Blekinge, Sweden. By sharing knowledge from the project, the aim is to contribute learnings on coastal bay restoration at a wider scale.

Guöviken is a shallow coastal bay located in Blekinge, Sweden. For more than ten years, people living in the area have experienced negative trends in water quality and recreational value. The situation has worsened in recent years, and today the bay is densely overgrown with algae for large parts of the year.

In the Restoration Guöviken project, we are investigating the problem together with local stakeholders. The long-term goal is to implement measures that lead to lasting improvements in the bay. As a first step, we are conducting a pre-study to understand the causes of the problem and identify suitable measures based on local conditions.

The results and recommendations will be made directly accessible to local decision-makers, with the aim of encouraging action. Learnings from the project will also be shared in a wider context, contributing new knowledge on coastal bay restoration.

Project Activities

• Engage local stakeholders and authorities in coastal water quality issues.

• Map external sources of nutrients from land-based activities around Guöviken.

• Monitor water and sediment quality to understand internal loading and exchange with the Baltic Sea.

• Use monitoring data to develop a digital model of the bay and evaluate possible measures.

• Develop locally adapted recommendations for measures to improve water quality in the bay and promote action among local stakeholders.

• Share knowledge with relevant stakeholders at a wider scale to support the scaling up of coastal bay restoration in the Baltic Sea region.