Transdisciplinary science for effective ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning (MarinePlan)

Background and Objective

The diversity of life on land and in the sea is increasingly affected by human activities, including climate change. There is growing evidence that biodiversity underpins ecosystem functions and services, and thus benefits to people. The importance of ecosystem biodiversity cannot therefore be underestimated and requires effective management of marine activities and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources.

Marine spatial planning is the main governance process that ideally balances economic, environmental and socio-cultural objectives by regulating human use of the sea. In the context of global and regional conservation and green energy goals, there is an urgent need to find ways to better align maritime spatial planning and strategic conservation planning to implement an ecosystem-based approach to maritime spatial planning.

The EU-funded MarinePlan project supports this by developing a toolbox of concepts, models, recommendations and data. The 'decision support system' aims to provide practical guidance to better align maritime spatial planning with spatial conservation and restoration measures.

Main objective

To improve the effectiveness of marine conservation measures for marine biodiversity in European seas, MarinePlan will work with stakeholders to develop a decision support system (DSS) and best practice guidelines for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (EB-MRO) and apply them in eight European case studies.

This main objective will be achieved through four specific deliverables for the European seas:

#1 Develop the conceptual elements of the decision support system (such as guidelines and tools) and develop best practice guidelines for the implementation of EB-MRO in collaboration with stakeholders.

#2 Develop quantitative metrics (EBSA criteria) to identify ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.

#3 Implementation and application of the DSS based on objectives #1 and #2 in eight case studies representing the diversity of European marine areas.

#4 Recommendations and improvements to existing management processes to enhance the implementation of EB MSP.

Target Group

• General public
• Scientific community (research and education)
• Key end-users: Policy makers, marine spatial planning experts, industry representatives (e.g. fisheries, shipping, tourism)

Approach

To achieve the main objective of the MarinePlan project, this decision support system for ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning will be developed and applied in seven work packages and eight European case studies. The planning areas range from coastal ecosystems to the open ocean and deep sea, and from local to transboundary scales. The application and validation of this decision support system (DSS) will include realistic planning scenarios, key actions for the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and policy recommendations to improve the implementation of ecosystem-based marine spatial planning in European seas. MarinePlan will communicate the results both horizontally (i.e. between sectors) and vertically (from local to European level) to different stakeholders and allow knowledge transfer to areas with different socio-environmental conditions. Improved knowledge based on natural and social sciences can ensure effective governance to support improved coherence in the implementation of environmental policies and enable more efficient planning for the maritime economy.

Data and Methods

The decision support system will include operational criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSA). This will allow the allocation of conservation and restoration areas at different scales in complex marine areas with multiple uses, taking into account the impacts of climate change.

Our Research Questions

• What tools and scientific bases should be included in a decision support system to enable the designation of coherent protected areas in the context of ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning?
• How can the implementation of ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning in European seas be supported?

Results

Realistic scenarios across planning sites were developed to meet the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 targets of protecting 30% of marine areas, including 10% under strict protection (Figure 2). All scenarios embraced ecosystem-based management, treating each region as an interconnected ecological system despite fragmented governance, and in transboundary sites, limited cross-border coordination. EBSAs and ecological connectivity were incorporated with shared principles but methods varied to reflect regional priorities and data availability. Most sites applied EBSA criteria using layers for species, habitats, and life-history stages, though scoring approaches differed. Campania and the Bay of Biscay used detailed EBSA frameworks, while the Western Mediterranean relied on Environmental Stability as a climate proxy and the Southern North Sea omitted Naturalness due to heavy industrialisation. Connectivity approaches also differed: Campania, the Western Mediterranean, and the Greek Aegean/Ionian Seas used advanced tools such as PriorCON and Lagrangian dispersal models to estimate structural connectivity of species groups while the Southern North Sea focused on connectivity of oyster; the Bay of Biscay incorporated connectivity implicitly through ecosystem-wide planning; and the Celtic Seas relied on MPA configuration due to limited data. Overall, EBSA layers formed a common basis, but connectivity analysis ranged from sophisticated modeling to pragmatic, data-driven approximations, reflecting diverse regional pathways for achieving ecological coherence in marine planning. The analysis of barriers and obstacles for the adaptive capacity of prevailing governance approaches revealed limited resourcing and political will, as well as concerns regarding the potential risks of change (D4.2, D4.3). Key barriers that have been identified across the planning sites included difficulties in establishing trade-offs between competing objectives, the development of fragmented governance and data systems, limited cross-border cooperation and collaboration, inadequate consultation and stakeholder engagement, ineffective or outdated policy and management measures, insufficient monitoring mechanisms, and a lack of political will and commitment to support innovation and transformation. A number of practical recommendations were presented as Story Maps and policy briefs for each planning site (D4.3, available at marineplan.eu). Hence, several common solutions are discussed, including the need to enable leadership within governance networks, as well as strategic efforts to bring together people, resources and knowledge. These factors have the potential to serve as catalysts for alternative processes and practices to be implemented.

Links and Downloads

www.marineplan.de

MarinePlan on Twitter: @MarinePlanEBMSP