Systematic exploration of actors in society who influence the input of nutrients into the sea

Abstract General governance frameworks and ecological models need to be complemented with concrete working processes to efficiently mitigate environmental problems caused by a large number of actors in society. This article, which focuses on marine environmental problems, presents a procedure in which relevant flows of goods and substances in society are linked to the behavior and activities of actors. The exploration of actors is more comprehensive than in currently used procedures which may expand the range of intervention options. Market actors that are normally overlooked in life cycle assessments are disclosed and actors primarily working with information flows are also explored. The implementation of the proposed procedure is strengthened by systematic use of performance indicators. The concrete examples in the present article refer to nutrient inputs into the sea. Management of marine litter and drug residues are two other areas in which a systematic exploration of substance flows and influential actors is likely to be fruitful.