08/05/2026 Revised Guideline Strengthens Ecosystem-Based Maritime Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea
The revised Guideline for the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach in Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea area is a practical resource for planners working across the region. More than a policy statement, it walks planners through each stage of the MSP process and shows concretely where and how ecosystem considerations should be integrated, from the earliest goal-setting through to monitoring and plan revision.
Download the Guideline here
An ecosystem-based approach means planning marine space within what ecosystems can actually sustain, not just accommodating sectoral demands. For planners, this shifts the framing: rather than asking "where can this activity go?", the starting question becomes: "what can the marine ecosystem in this planning area support, and under what conditions?" The Guideline helps planners operationalise this shift by providing structured guidance on how to assess ecosystem capacity, identify cumulative pressures across sectors, and factor in biodiversity, climate change and ecosystem services alongside economic and social interests.
The Baltic Sea context makes this especially demanding. Shipping, energy production, fisheries, nature protection, tourism, cultural heritage, defence and emerging maritime industries all compete for limited space, while the sea simultaneously faces eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity loss, seabed disturbance and the accelerating effects of climate change. Planners are therefore rarely dealing with isolated decisions; each allocation has knock-on effects. The Guideline directly addresses this by helping planners think and document across sectors, not just within them.
The Guideline supports planners at each phase of their work
During goal-setting, it offers a framework for defining ecosystem-based objectives consistent with EU and regional policy requirements, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, EUSBSR, the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, and the VASAB Vision 2040, and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, particularly its goal of a healthy and productive sea. For impact assessment, it provides guidance on evaluating not just individual activities but their combined, cumulative effects. It also includes a reference list of recommended data sources covering the marine environment, human activities, pressures, ecosystem services and cultural values, giving planners a clearer starting point for evidence gathering.
Where data is incomplete, which in marine planning is often the case, the Guideline reinforces the precautionary principle as an operational tool, not just a legal obligation. Planners are guided on how to document uncertainty and reflect it in planning decisions, rather than defaulting to inaction or ignoring gaps.
Two areas receive notably stronger treatment in this revision. The first is climate-smart planning: more explicit guidance on integrating climate adaptation, mitigation, nature-based solutions and ecosystem resilience into spatial decisions. The second is monitoring and adaptive management: clearer direction on designing monitoring frameworks that feed back into plan revision, rather than functioning as a reporting formality.
Participation is also addressed with greater specificity, not as a procedural requirement but as a way to surface conflicts early, identify synergies and build the shared understanding that makes plans easier to implement.
This revision reflects a decade of shared experience, built through the work of the HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group and the countries, observer and partner organisations that contribute to it. Since 2016, knowledge has grown, plans have been developed, and lessons learned, all of which this new version incorporates. At a time like this, with climate change, shifting security conditions and broader geopolitical pressures reshaping the world planners work in, having a clear, principled foundation matters. The ecosystem-based approach remains that foundation, supported now by clearer and more practical guidance for planners across the region.
