Integrating Ecosystem Services into Maritime Spatial Planning

A functioning and healthy natural environment provide us with many essential services, which contribute directly to human well-being. For example, marine and coastal ecosystems provide us with food and raw materials, genetic and medical resources, nursery habitats for species, climate regulation, mediation of waste and improvement of water quality, coastal protection as well as cultural identity, leisure and recreation. However, many of these ecosystem services are under threat or are not reaching their full potential due to multiple pressures such as overexploitation, eutrophication, overfishing and contaminants.

Securing marine and coastal ecosystem services is especially important to enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change, strengthen its capacity to endure external pressures, such as nutrient and carbon loads, and for long term food provision. A good understanding of the functioning of the marine ecosystem and the services it provides is essential for evidence-based planning and decision-making to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources.

The ecosystem service concept provides a comprehensive framework for examining socio-ecological interactions and supports the integration of ecological aspects in policy and decision making. This includes enabling a strategic approach to protect marine resources and systematic assessment of trade-offs in maritime spatial planning (MSP) decisions.

Currently, coastal planning authorities in the Baltic Sea countries often do not have accurate and harmonised information about coastal and marine ecosystem services’ supply and potential values, which impedes managers’ ability to make decisions regarding sustainable coastal development. The harmonisation of ecosystem services assessment approaches across local, national and regional scales would benefit strategic planning at all levels and enhance the Baltic region’s shared capacity to reach environmental and sustainability targets.

We will explore the options above for “Integrating Ecosystem Services into Maritime Spatial Planning” during the 5^th Baltic MSP Forum. This session is initiated by the BESTmarine project, led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with partners from Latvia, Estonia and Finland. “Our aim is to bring together stakeholders and researchers to explore what is needed to achieve a coherent mapping of ecosystem services around the Baltic”, says Carolyn Faithfull project coordinator.

“The session will provide a forum for stakeholders to discuss the advantages and opportunities of using ecosystem service information in policy making, planning and when developing strategies for the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. We will also explore the different ways in which scientists, policy makers and planners interpret the ecosystem services concept and compare experiences of its integration into MSP across local, regional and national policy settings.”

The 5th Baltic MSP Forum will take place on 11-12 November 2025 fully on-site in Riga, Latvia. More information and registration for this event: www.BalticMSPforum.eu.

The 5th Baltic MSP Forum is organised by the VASAB Secretariat together with the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, as the Lead Partner of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project Baltic Sea2Land, and in cooperation with the partners of the project’s consortium. The 5th Baltic MSP Forum is supported by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027 – through the Subsidy contract for the project #C018 Baltic Sea2Land of Interreg Baltic Sea Region. 

Authors:
Anda Ruskule, Baltic Environmental Forum – Latvia
Carolyn Faithfull, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

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