Dear Reader,
The Baltic Sea Region is one of Nordregio’s four geographical focal areas. In November 2016, more than 1000 people joined the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy Forum in Stockholm. Nordregio co-organized two well-attended workshops, one on maritime spatial planning (MSP) and the other on territorial monitoring.
The common denominator for this EU macro-region is the Baltic Sea. The basic prerequisite for the Baltic Sea Region Strategy is sea-water quality, as stressed in the opening speeches by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the entrepreneur and capitalist Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype and initiator of Race for the Baltic.
Column II
By Thomas Johansson
I sometimes think of a maritime spatial plan in the same way that I thought, in a former job, of forestry plans – as long-term decisions on how to use and protect the grounds and their resources. That is what a maritime spatial plan does.
However, maritime spatial plans are more complex because, as a single forest owner, I could make decisions by myself. In contrast, at sea, so many different parties must co-operate and share the resource, ranging from local beach-goers to global shipping companies to the microalgae producing our oxygen. As a result of this complexity, it is important to have a Nordic (or even larger) perspective on maritime planning.
Creating the future we want – How “our” six countries accelerated Maritime Spatial Planning for the Baltic Sea
By Alberto Giacometti, Wilhelm Gårdmark, Ingela Isaksson, Michael Kull, John Moodie & Andrea Morf
Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is about creating the future we want. It is about providing predictable conditions. It is also about local fishermen, clean energy, national security and the small shrimp you find among the seaweed. Ideally, it is a democratic, inclusive and participatory process that leads to a spatial plan showing the most effective and sustainable way of using our seas. But how do we make decisions about the way our seas are used, particularly when national borders divide a common sea? The Baltic SCOPE collaboration partly answered this question and laid the foundation for national plans that should fit better together with the national plans of neighbouring countries in the future.
Dear Reader,
The Baltic Sea Region is one of Nordregio’s four geographical focal areas. In November 2016, more than 1000 people joined the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy Forum in Stockholm. Nordregio co-organized two well-attended workshops, one on maritime spatial planning (MSP) and the other on territorial monitoring.
The common denominator for this EU macro-region is the Baltic Sea. The basic prerequisite for the Baltic Sea Region Strategy is sea-water quality, as stressed in the opening speeches by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the entrepreneur and capitalist Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype and initiator of Race for the Baltic.
Read the full article here
The Baltic SCOPE's recommendations on Maritime Spatial Planning across borders
By Alberto Giacometti, Wilhelm Gårdmark, Ingela Isaksson, Michael Kull, John Moodie & Andrea Morf
The partners in the Baltic SCOPE collaboration developed several recommendations in order to facilitate transboundary collaboration in maritime spatial planning, and for national authorities to achieve a closer alignment of their national plans.
Read the full article here
Maritime Spatial Planning in Poland: a dialogue at various geographical scales
By Andrzej Cieślak, Magdalena Matczak & Jacek Zaucha
In 2003, Poland was one of the first countries in the world to introduce Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) into its legal system. However, formal planning did not start until ten years later, in 2013, when preparation began of a comprehensive stock-taking report (Study of Conditions of Spatial Development of Polish Sea Areas), which was completed early in 2015. Next, elaboration of the Spatial Plan at the scale of 1:200,000, which was tendered by the director of Maritime Office in Gdynia and the winning consortium (Maritime Institute in Gdańsk and National Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Gdynia), began in July 2016. The Plan is comprehensive, dealing with all existing and future spatial issues related to sea use and the environment, and covers all Polish sea areas except those within ports and the Szczecin and Vistula Lagoons, which require spatial planning at a larger scale (1:25,000 or even 1:10,000) because of the intensity and density of possible conflicts.
Read the full article here
Baltic Sea Maritime Spatial Planning for Sustainable Ecosystem Services
By Henning Sten Hansen & Lise Schrøder
The current and potential use of the seas and oceans is often called the ‘Blue Economy’. Recently, the European Commission launched its Blue Growth Strategy on the opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth. The European Commission considers that Blue Growth is a long-term strategy in the marine and maritime sectors with great potential for innovation and economic growth. Holistic spatial planning systems supporting sustainable development have proved themselves in terrestrial planning and are also needed at sea. Due to this reason, the BONUS BASMATI project is based on the ecosystem service approach to assist in assessing sustainable solutions corresponding to policy goals.
Read the full article here
Gathering practitioners for MSP discussions
By Joacim Johannesson
After two productive years of fostering trans-border collaboration in maritime spatial planning (MSP) across the Baltic Sea Region, the need to continue the conversation emerged. In May, a consortium of eight countries submitted a proposal to the European Commission for a new MSP project, named Pan-Baltic SCOPE.
Read the full article here
Challenges of implementing maritime spatial planning in the Eastern Mediterranean
By Elena Gissi & Francesco Musco
The Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (2014/89/EU) was launched to create a common framework for maritime spatial planning (MSP) in Europe. The case of the Adriatic and Ionian Region (AIR) is emblematic of the peculiar challenges to be faced while implementing MSP in the region.
Read the full article here
The need to include young people in marine spatial planning
By Amanda Nylund & Lina Waara
Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an important tool in managing marine resources in a sustainable manner. However, the MSP process must become better at including young people. The marine environment is facing many challenges, including climate change, unsustainable fishing, exploitation, insufficient management and pollution. It is clear that the actions being taken today are not sufficient to address these challenges. Although young people are aware of the importance of action to deal with future issues and environmental consequences, their means of influence is limited. All actors involved in MSP need to take more responsibility to include the perspectives of young people.
Read the full article here
Nordregio Forum 2017: Nordic Cities – Connecting the Urban and the Rural
How do we create stronger linkages between the urban and the rural parts of our regions? How can smaller cities take the lead within sustainable development? What makes them attractive? How can cities in the Nordic countries benefit from Nordic collaboration and export promotion?
Read about the forum here