Poland’s pilot case that involved all Polish coastal municipalities

Poland’s pilot case that involved all Polish coastal municipalities. The goal was to explore coastal communities’ perceptions of offshore wind farms, identify barriers and facilitators for public acceptance, and test analytical tools from the Sea2Land Navigator.

During the piloting phase, the team conducted four workshops, engaging local communities and representatives from various maritime sectors. One of the key methods tested was SWOT analysis from the Navigator toolkit. However, the team observed that participants were sometimes reluctant to use structured tools directly, preferring instead to express their views in open discussions. Nonetheless, these methods proved valuable as conceptual frameworks for designing the piloting process and analyzing the collected data.

Additionally, the Polish team organized three meetings: an internal session with scientists and practitioners from Baltic Sea2Land Polish partners, and two workshops for educators and marine experts. The internal meeting focused on testing the MLG approach and reviewing outcomes from coastal workshops. Expert workshops aimed to complement findings from coastal meetings and compare community expectations with expert perspectives.

Some of the key insights that were identified during piloting exercise:

Firstly, workshops on offshore wind farms perceptions revealed significant misinformation and numerous challenges regarding offshore wind farm investments on the Polish sea. It was concluded that the information and consultation processes are not tailored properly to meet the needs of the coastal communities.

Secondly, the piloting experience showed that the Navigator could benefit from website functionality improvements to make it more accessible and operational for similar stakeholder engagement processes. This feedback will contribute to the next phase of the Baltic Sea2Land project, ensuring the tool is refined for future use.

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