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- Navigating trade-offs on conservation: the use of participatory mapping in maritime spatial planningPublication . Calado, Helena; Gutierrez, Débora; Bruyn, Albane DeMaritime spatial planning (MSP) has evolved to incorporate features like authoritative, participatory, ecosystem-based, integrated, future-oriented, and adaptive approaches. MSP seeks a balance between maritime activities and sustainable development within ecological limits, an ecosystem-based approach (EBA). A trade-off in the context of MSP refers to the compromise or exchange between different objectives, interests, or uses of marine resources and space. The aim of this paper is to provide methodological guidelines for applying a trade-off methodology for marine protected areas (MPAs) design within the MSP context. The guidelines have developed participatory-based trade-off scenarios to weigh the impacts of the multi-objective spatial and strategic management measures, using participatory mapping, providing a valuable framework for design of MSP and MPAs. The lessons learned and recommendations provided aim to guide future MSP endeavours, emphasising the importance of continuous improvement, innovation, and adaptation in the dynamic field of MSP for sustainable marine management and conservation.
- Towards improved ecosystem service assessments in marine systems: a systematic review and evaluation of effectivenessPublication . Socrate, Juliana; Armoskaite, Aurelija; Cordero Penín, Víctor; Gutierrez, Débora; Thenen, Miriam vonEcosystem service assessments (ESA) are widely used to support marine management, yet their application varies across regions due to differences in governance frameworks, data availability, and methodological approaches. This study systematically reviews ESA methods and tools applied in offshore areas of the Baltic Sea, South Atlantic Ocean, and Western Mediterranean Sea, evaluating their effectiveness in supporting sustainable marine management with a specific focus on offshore wind farms, marine protected areas, and fishing activities. The findings reveal geographical variations in ESA implementation, highlighting strengths and limitations in their ability to inform policy and decision-making. While methodological diversity enhances ESA’s capacity to capture complex socio-ecological interactions, inconsistencies in application reduce its effectiveness. Addressing these gaps requires refining methodological approaches, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving the link between ESA and marine governance. This research provides insights into the current state of ESA applications and offers recommendations for enhancing their role in ecosystem-based marine planning and policy integration.
- Aligning socio-economic and governance criteria to support better integration marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and other conservation approachesPublication . Pegorelli, Camila; Sanabria, Javier García; Andres, Maria de; Onetti, Javier Garcia; Lees, Liisi; Calado, Helena; Gutierrez, DéboraConnecting Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), which adopts a broader management approach, with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which focus on environmental conservation, is essential to ensure coherence between these instruments operating within the same marine space. To achieve this, a set of criteria encompassing socioeconomic and governance dimensions was analyzed. However, there is often a lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding these aspects, which could support the design, implementation and monitoring of MSP and MPAs. Addressing this gap, this research aims to develop and provide criteria to support managers/policy makers in integrating MSP and MPA processes within marine planning frameworks. The methodology is structured around three steps: (1) screening and grouping of key socio-economic and governance criteria derived from relevant policy documents; (2) expert evaluation of their relevance to MSP and MPAs; and (3) correlation analysis to explore the relationships between criteria prioritization across different types of spatial management, and to identify trends, therefore potential synergies/opportunities. The results show a different correlation between MSP and different types of MPAs, suggesting that tailored approaches may be required to address the conservation targets within the scope of MSP. More specifically, there is a moderate negative correlation, in terms of socioeconomic criteria, between MSP and strict MPA, that is not observed between MSP and multiple-use MPAs. Although implemented on different scales, marine planning tools can work together to achieve their objectives if tailored to the specific socioeconomic dimension of the territory, with governance aspects such as adaptive management and stakeholder engagement serving as key elements in both processes. By framing ecosystems as social-ecological systems, the study demonstrates that socio-economic criteria can act as a bridge between sustainable development and conservation, therefore supporting the development of the Ocean European Pact and the revision of the MSP Directive.