Finland

Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) identify land draining into waters that are polluted or at risk of becoming polluted due to nutrients from agriculture. In those areas, action programmes with good agricultural practices for nutrient management are put in place to reduce and prevent nitrates pollution and eutrophication.

• Average nitrate concentrations refer to the average of annual mean values over the reporting period.

• Trends: increase or decrease in the nitrates concentrations during the reporting period compared to the previous. 

• Changes in freshwater (rivers, lakes/water reservoirs) were classified as 'weak' if they ranged between 1 and 5 milligrams of nitrates per litre, and 'strong' if they were more than 5 milligrams of nitrates per litre.

• Saline waters (transitional, coastal and marine waters) could become eutrophic at low concentrations. Therefore it is relevant to look in detail at very low nitrate concentrations, also below 0.5 mg/l and between 0.5 mg/l and 2 mg/l category. In this case, changes in concentrations were classified as 'weak' if they ranged between 0.1 and 1 milligrams of nitrates per litre, and 'strong' if they were more than 1 milligrams of nitrates per litre.