NESB Project Results
Work package 2: Ocean Governance
Policy Brief. Strengthening Cooperation in the Greater North Sea: Initial Lessons for Cross-Sectoral and Cross-Border Cooperation for Maritime Spatial Planning.
This policy brief is aimed at policymakers and technical experts working on maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the North Sea, as well as partners involved in regional cooperation initiatives (including North Seas MSP collaboration group and the NSEC) and MSP related projects. The brief focuses on efforts to improve (MSP) coordination across countries in the Greater North Sea area.
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Communication material for task 2.2: Strengthening the application of the ecosystem-based approach in the Greater North Sea and the Baltic Sea regions
From Vision to Implementation: Applying the Ecosystem-Based Approach in Maritime Spatial Planning. Includes EBA checklist tool.
This communication material presents a visual aid of the revised version of the Guideline for the implementation of ecosystem-based approach (EBA) in maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea originally adopted in 2016.
This material provides practical guidance on integrating an ecosystem-based approach into the MSP process, supported by an EBA checklist included in the document.
Work package 3: Energy Transition and Biodiversity in MSP
Deliverable 3.1. Energy transition and biodiversity in MSP – a structured glossary
Speaking a common technical language is key to avoiding misunderstandings and improving the coherence of maritime spatial plans. Terms can be used with different meanings, or different words can be used for the same concept. Such pitfalls must be avoided and clarity must be created.
This glossary gives a systematic overview of terms relevant in the context of maritime spatial planning (MSP) and specialized MSP topics such as offshore energy and nature conservation.
Summary Report of the Northern European Sea Basin project Task 3.4.
An assessment of the current status of Cumulative Impact Assessment activities across regional institutes and countries at Northern European Sea Basins
Work package 4: Multi-use in practice: From Mariparks to basin-scale multi-use
Deliverable 4.3. Towards Mariparks: Environmental Baseline Study Data Framework for Ocean Multi-Use
Report provides a methodological foundation for establishing environmental data frameworks supporting Maripark development within the Northern European Sea Basins project (NESBp). It outlines an eight-step EBS framework integrating best practices from UNITED and ULTFARMS projects and applies them to three Belgian case studies representing different multi-use settings.
The report identifies core environmental data categories, promotes data harmonisation under EU standards (INSPIRE, FAIR, MSPdF), and introduces the use of climate projection datasets (including concepts of climate refugia and dead zones) for future-proof marine planning. It highlights the need for improved data interoperability, the mutualisation of monitoring approaches from early project stages, and climate-smart spatial design.
Deliverable 4.4. Designing Mariparks
This report is the account of a search for feasible Mariparks, based on potential business cases and master planning. The report concludes with policy advice and positions Mariparks as a lever in the greening of the blue economy towards a systemic approach.
Deliverable 4.6. Environmental Monitoring Plans (EMP) Conceptual Framework for Mariparks
This report presents a conceptual Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) framework supporting the development of Mariparks as multi-use offshore infrastructures. The framework applies an Ecosystem-Based Approach to identify cumulative pressures, ecosystem responses and trade-offs across co-located activities, supported by smart monitoring strategies, structured data hubs and digital twin applications as analytical tools. Given the multi-decadal lifetime of Mariparks, the EMP highlights the importance of climate-informed scenarios as boundary conditions for monitoring design. Its modular and phased structure supports transferability across Member States and sea basins, and alignment with EU initiatives such as EMODnet and EDITO.
Work package 5: Knowledge transfer and sharing
Deliverable 5.1. Fact sheet – DIK(W) approach in MSP
This factsheet provides the analytical foundation of work package 5 on knowledge transfer for Maritime Spatial Planning. Using the DIK(W) framework, it identifies gaps and fragmented data coverage, heterogeneous national plans and geoportals, and the lack of interoperable, future-oriented knowledge layers.
Summary reports from project events
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the project consortium only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.