Governance

The FLAG area includes the coast, rivers, and lakes along the Gulf of Bothnia, roughly 200km north of Stockholm. The landscape is dominated by pine woodlands and many inhabitants live in smaller towns and in rural areas.

The FLAG area consists of woodland and a large number of lakes and rivers as well as some off-shore islands. This is a coastal region that includes eight municipalities in total. Bräcke, Ånge, Timrå and Sollefteå are inland municipalities with lakes and rivers connected to the coastal waters. Sundsvall, Kramfors, Härnösand, and Örnsköldsvik municipalities have inland lakes and rivers as well as coastal maritime environments.

The FLAG area includes mountains, farmland, forest landscapes and an extensive archipelago. The Torne River, which runs through the FLAG’s territory, is Europe's largest unspoiled continuous waterway and is the main spawning site for wild salmon in the Bothnian Sea.

The area is defined by the Ria Formosa (which covers five municipalities), a natural river system, structuring the landscape and ecological systems, which gives the Sotavento its own characteristics. The Eastern Algarve is home to the largest wetland in southern Portugal, 11,000 hectares large stretching along approximately 60 km of coastline between Ancão (Loulé) and Manta Rota (Vila Real de Santo António). It forms a lagoon-estuarine system with a wide area of marshes, islands and channels protected by robust sand ridges, which form two peninsulas (Ancão and Cacela) and five barrier islands (Barreta, Culatra, Armona, Tavira and Cabanas).

The Barlavento do Algarve FLAG area is in the southwest of Portugal and has strong links to the sea in terms of both fishing and tourism. The main challenges for the FLAG include the sustainable re-establishment of small-scale fisheries in the area which suffered from the impacts of sectoral restructuring at national and community level over the past two decades.

The FLAG area extends over a coastal area of 35km and covers five parishes in two municipalities. This territory is noted for its traditional small-scale fisheries. This is a predominantly agricultural area with a growing tourist sector thanks to its accessible beaches.

Lake Võrtsjärv is the second largest lake in the Baltic countries and the largest lake in Estonia. The lake is covered with ice, on average, 130 days a year (from the end of November until mid-April). Total catches in the FLAG area have fallen in recent years which is a challenge. This is due, in large, to a decline in consumer demands for smaller bream

The Saaremaa FLAG covers the islands of western Estonia in Saare county, with exception of Hiiumaa which has its own FLAG. The biggest islands in the Saaremaa FLAG area are Saaremaa, Muhu, Ruhnu, and Abruka ja Vilsandihe.

The Harju FLAG area covers 530km of coastline along the Gulf of Finland and features numerous peninsulas and bays. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is situated centrally in the area and offers local producers access to a substantial market. Tallinn also draws a relatively young workforce to the area and offers wide-ranging tourism opportunities.

Rügen is an island in the Baltic Sea and the largest in Germany. It is known for its beaches and white chalk cliffs which span coastline of approximately 574 kilometres. The island is also well-known for the Jasmund National Park which his home to primeval beech forests and white-tailed eagles.