Integrating Blue-Green Infrastructure in Maritime Spatial Planning

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 extends ongoing efforts to promote green and blue infrastructure, emphasizing nature-based solutions to strengthen ecosystem health. Maritime and coastal planning are key processes through which the systematic integration of information and knowledge about green infrastructure can be achieved. HELCOM-VASAB Regional MSP Roadmap 2030 also recognises the importance of mapping green infrastructure for contributing to ecosystem based approach in marine management and achieving progress towards good environmental status of the Baltic Sea.

Maritime Spatial Plans (MSPs) are now in force across the Baltic Sea countries. A few countries are currently revising their first plans or evaluating the progress of their implementation.

This session will explore:

• How to operationalise the blue-green infrastructure concept in MSP for supporting implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy ?
• What are the approaches and measures countries are taking to incorporate the biodiversity and conservation values into their Maritime Spatial Plans and challenges related to it?
• Do these approaches differ across governance levels – national, regional, and local?
• How does MSP support to steer harmful activities away from marine protected and other high nature values areas?

Target audience: maritime spatial and land-use planners, nature conservation and environmental experts, policy makers

SPEAKERS:

• Implementation of the blue-green infrastructure concept for enhancing ecosystem based marine management in the Baltic Sea region by Anda Ruskule, BEF Latvia
• Finnish MSP – upscaling regional learnings for a successful national blue-green infrastructure by Frank Hering, Chair of Finnish Maritime Spatial Planning Coordination Group
• Swedish experience in application of blue-green infrastructure appoach in MSP, by Jan Schmidtbauer Crona, SwAM

Organiser: Finnish Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) cooperation

Key words: Marine Green Infrastructure (MGI), EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Maritime Spatial Planning, Land-Sea Interactions, Multi-level Governance