Spatial cost-benefit analysis tool
A spatial cost-benefit analysis tool is useful for analysing the distribution of costs and benefits associated with a given set of maritime uses.
Maritime spatial planners have to make as well as justify designation decisions that impact the economic activities of sea use sectors. Among many other factors, such as environmental and social ones, the economic significance of a sea use sector as well as the spatial distribution of costs and benefits along the value chain and across the country need to be taken into account. For maritime spatial planners, it is so far very difficult to assess blue economy impacts of sea uses with regard to their spatial allocation on land. The BALTSPACE spatial cost-benefit-analysis tool will assist them in this endeavour.
Typically, cost-benefit analyses are associated with place-based scenario trade-offs. The BALTSPACE spatial cost-benefit analysis tool takes a different approach. It supports planners in assessing economic costs and benefits of the following sea use sectors as a whole:
- Offshore wind energy production
- Shipping
- Sand and gravel exploitation
- Cables and pipelines
- Fishing
- Maritime tourism
The tool fosters the understanding on who (e.g. big enterprises, SMEs, companies/employees in a particular region, taxpayers, etc.) bears costs/benefits in what monetary dimension and in which geographical areas. By being able to compare costs and benefits of different sectors MSP solutions can be evaluated against political objectives (e.g. maximising social welfare, strengthening a certain sector as a whole, creating jobs in a particular area, etc.). Furthermore, the analysis of the geographical distribution of costs and benefits shall facilitate a more effective stakeholder communication and highlight blue growth dimensions to regions/stakeholder groups which may have so far not been associated with maritime uses. Moreover, the BALTSPACE spatial cost-benefit-analysis results may be used for portraying the economic status-quo in stakeholder consultation as well as for explaining different priority weighing of sectors between countries.
