Protecting the proper Baltic harbour porpoise : An evaluation of Sweden’s conservation plan

Abstract: More than a third of the earths marine mammal species are threatened. This study aims to analyze and evaluate the conservation of the proper Baltic harbour porpoisein Sweden. The population is estimated to consist of only 500 individuals and are likely to be extinct if measures are not taken. A new Swedish conservation planfor harbour porpoises will be implemented in 2021 and will be the first since 2013. This study analyzes the suggested conservation plan and aims to identify strengths and weaknesses in the actions. Through a grounded theory approach, a qualitative content analysis is performed to identify the action strengths and weaknesses. A scoring matrix was developed to create indicators of the actions effort, delivery and conservation. The findings show that the short-term goals and the actions have a multidirectional approach which lack an alignment to the vision and the long-term goal of the plan. The study presents the action efficiency, which shows the need for, and importance of prioritizing the actions with the most potential impact for conservation. Mainly, the study provides a framework for species conservation plan evaluation and by performing the plan evaluation prior to implementation, the study contributes to the field of environmental evaluations.