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BONUS BALTSPACE has received funding from BONUS (Art 185), funded jointly by the EU and Baltic Sea national funding institutions.

BONUS BALTSPACE project finished successfully

Results will have a long-lasting impact on MSP in the Baltic Sea Region

After an intensive period of cooperation between MSP experts, the BONUS BALTSPACE project ended in March 2018. Project manager Michael Gilek from Södertörn University in Stockholm is very satisfied with the results: "We set out with bold plans to clarify and improve the capacity of MSP to respond to sustainability challenges in the Baltic Sea. Now, at the end of the project, I am almost surprised by the sheer volume, richness and depth of project outcomes. We have, for example, produced an extensive empirical material from around the Baltic Sea on how MSP can address various integration challenges, such as stakeholder and knowledge integration. Project researchers have also in dialogue with planners and stakeholders developed and applied MSP tools, as well as approaches to analyse and evaluate sustainability aspirations in MSP. In short: great work by a great team – Thank you BALTSPACERs!"

However, the finalisation of the project also means that project partners now are working on spreading BONUS BALTSPACE findings and recommendations to other projects, such as PanBalticSCOPE and to relevant stakeholders, such as MSP Authorities and MSP expert groups. The goal of the project is to create a long-lasting impact on MSP in the Baltic Sea Region. “Our science-based suggestions have already influenced MSP processes significantly, for example in terms of changed stakeholder practices in Polish MSP, and we are confident that our policy briefs and other communication material will continue to be relevant for MSP practitioners and stakeholders in the coming years. Not the least, the project’s recommendation to further develop social sustainability considerations in MSP on top of today’s predominant focus on environmental and economic objectives, can substantially improve MSP’s capacity to respond to multi-dimensional sustainability challenges in the Baltic Sea and beyond", according to Gilek.

The majority of the project outputs are currently available from the output section of the project website. If there are any questions or remarks, do not hesitate to contact one of the project partners directly.

Reaching across sea spaces - BONUS BALTSPACE final conference

The BONUS BALTSPACE final conference took place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 7 March 2018 (15:00-17:00 hrs). The conference was hosted by Gesine Meißner, Member of the European Parliament and President of the Intergroup Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas.

The researchers of the BONUS BALTSPACE project have for the past three years studied MSP processes in the Baltic Sea Region. In particular, they have analysed them for different types of integration mechanisms, i.e. policy and sector integration, integration across scales and boundaries, stakeholder integration as well as integration of the knowledge base. The researchers identified challenges as well as enabling conditions in MSP processes and developed approaches that support the work of maritime spatial planners.

At the project conference “Reaching across sea spaces – Results on MSP from the BONUS BALTSPACE project”, the project partnership presented findings with particular focus on stakeholder and cross-border integration. Together with invited representatives from other regional seas contexts they discussed challenges, opportunities and solutions for MSP.

 

Meeting Documents

BALTSPACE at the 2017 Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference

Andrea Morf and Helena Strand from SIME presented and discussed findings from the BONUS BALTSPACE project a the 13th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference in Tampere taking place from 6 and 8 June 2017. The audience showed great interest in the challenges and enablers of stakeholder integration as well as the Sound case study.

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