The Story of The Baltic Sea2Land Journey

Navigating Together: How Baltic Sea2Land Guided Coastal Governance Toward Sustainability

Challenge
Coastal areas in the Baltic Sea Region face mounting pressures: overlapping jurisdictions, environmental constraints and growing tourism demand. With over 200 million Europeans living within 50 km of the sea, the question is clear: How do we balance economic growth, cultural heritage and environmental protection in line with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Blue Economy?

Context
The Baltic coastline is a unique blend of scenic beauty and cultural richness. Yet fragmented decision-making often leads to conflicts between sectors and communities. Coastal development requires integrated governance that connects land and sea, local and international interests, and environmental and economic priorities.

Solution
The Baltic Sea2Land project united partners from six Baltic Sea Region countries under one mission: strengthen multi-level governance and foster cooperation across borders. Like a sailing ship with many crew members – authorities, blue economy sectors and local communities – our project ensured everyone rows in the same direction. The guiding compass? – The Sea2Land Navigator.

Stakeholder Voices

“For years, we struggled with fragmented planning. The Navigator finally gives us a common language and tools to work together.”
– Local Authority Representative, Latvia

“The beauty of this project is its inclusiveness. Fishermen, tourism operators, and planners now sit at the same table.”
– Blue Economy Stakeholder, Estonia

“Baltic Sea2Land showed that borders don’t matter when it comes to protecting our coasts. Cooperation is the real game-changer.”
– Project Partner, Finland

How it works
The Sea2Land Navigator is a practical guidance and decision-support platform designed for public authorities and stakeholders. It offers tools to assess land-sea connectivity, identify conflicts and synergies and support well-informed decisions. By integrating diverse perspectives, the Navigator helps balance competing interests and promotes resilient coastal development.

Proof it works
Through joint activities, knowledge exchange and pilot applications, Baltic Sea2Land has shown that cross-border collaboration is not just possible – it’s powerful. The Navigator is already helping planners and decision-makers design strategies that are technically sound, socially inclusive and economically viable.

Vision
Baltic Sea2Land leaves behind more than tools – it leaves a legacy. Policy recommendations, practical guidance and a network of engaged stakeholders will continue to shape sustainable coastal governance. By connecting governance levels from local to international, the project strengthens the Baltic Sea Region’s capacity to manage its coastlines for generations to come.

Keywords from the Navigator team

For Stakeholders:

• Be bold and use the Navigator!

For planners:

• Be a game changer and use the Navigator!

For policy makers:

• Improve policy and use the Navigator!

Sea2Land Navigator – Your Compass to Unlock Planning Insights!

Video about the use of the Sea2Land Navigator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xxyhFfz-o

Programme Manual Online

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