Naples Declaration News
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2020
April
Have you missed MSP news from the past three weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past three weeks:
- MSP news
- Can fishing industry and offshore wind farms co-exist?
- Pan Baltic Scope results are now published on the platform!
- COVID-19
- Call
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
March
The Call for Applications for the 2020 Atlantic Project Awards is now open. The initiative aims to honour outstanding success stories, achieved by projects in the geographical area covered by the Atlantic Strategy and that are related to the implementation of the Atlantic Action Plan.
This year, projects can apply for the following categories/pillars of the new revamped Action Plan:
- Atlantic ports and blue economy;
- Blue skills and ocean literacy;
- Marine renewable energy;
- Healthy ocean and resilient coasts;
- International Cooperation in the Atlantic area i.e. international dimension embodied in the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation with United States of America and Canada and its potential support to the Blue Economy; in the Atlantic research cooperation with Brazil and South Africa; in the cooperation with adjacent sea macro-regions/basins (Baltic, Mediterranean, Black Sea), etc.
Submit your application before 18 June 2020!
For more information, see the web page.
A new invitation to tender, addressing innovation in Baltic pollution management via ESA's, is now open. It represents a call for ideas on how to address territorial planning, Baltic pollution management and environmental monitoring.
The initiative will prioritise national territorial and spatial planning, pollution management, as well as environmental monitoring in the sea basin in line with HELCOM priorities.
Deadline: 29/04/2020
For more information see the webpage.
Due to the current situation regarding Covid-19, the European Maritime Day 2020 is postponed. The EMD Team is currently looking into possible alternative dates later this year.
More information coming soon.
Due to the current situation regarding Covid-19, future public events related to the Irish Draft National Marine Planning have been cancelled.
- Monday, 23 March 2020, 6-8 pm (CANCELLED)
Fisheries
Kinsale Hotel and Spa, Rathmore, Co. Cork, P17 F542
- Tuesday, 31 March 2020, 6-8 pm (CANCELLED)
Ports & Harbours
Wexford Town Library, Mallin Street, Ferrybank South, Wexford, Y35 AY20
The consultation period ends at noon on Thursday, 9 April 2020.
For more information and submissions, please see the page of the Public consultation on the Draft NMPF
This is the question raised by Dale Rodmell from the The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) in his last publication. He examines the eventual compatibility of both activities, the needs for a re-orientation considering planning proposals, and the importance of promoting the co-existence of both industries.
Read more here.
Have you missed MSP news from the past two weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our bi-weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past two weeks:
- MSP News
- Call for abstract
- New additions to the platform
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
The ICES Annual Science Conference 2020 will take place in Copenhagen from the 7 to 10 September 2020.
Call for abstracts is open until 11 March 2020.
See the event page.
Would you like to enhance your knowledge about the MSP in Europe? Discover the recent additions to the platform here.
PRACTICES DATABASE:
- Changes to fishing practices around the UK as a result of the development of offshore windfarm - Phase 1 - The Crown Estate
- Lost in space and time? A conceptual framework to harmonise data for marine spatial planning - International Journal of Spatial Data Infrastructures Research
- A novel approach for cumulative impacts assessment for marine spatial planning - Environmental Science and Policy
- South Atlantic Sea Basin Strategy Document - Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition
- Eastern Channel - North Sea Basin Strategy Document - Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition
- Mediterranean Sea Basin Strategy Document - Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition
- North Atlantic Sea Basin Strategy Document - Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for small-scale fisheries - PHAROS4MPAs
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for aquaculture - PHAROS4MPAs
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for the cruise sector - PHAROS4MPAs
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for recreational fisheries - PHAROS4MPAs
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for leisure boating - PHAROS4MPAs
- Ocean Tracker - European Union - Ocean Conference
- Marine Protected Area mapper - JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee)
- INDIMAR - PLASMAR
- Synthesis Report on the Ecosystem Approach to Maritime Spatial Planning - Pan Baltic Scope
MSP PROJECTS:
February
Finnish Ecologically Significant Marine Underwater Areas (EMMA) completed a report in support of the MSP. Its aim is to inform the marine spatial planners, experts, and general public about the state of the ecologically significant areas of the Finnish coast, applying the best possible data available. The work was carried out by the Finnish Environment Institute. The study describes 87 ecologically important areas located in entire area of the Finnish Sea from the Gulf of Finland to the Bothnian Bay. The selection of sites was implemented taking into consideration the diversity of species and habitats, endangered species, area features, as well as underwater geological diversity. The area delimitation is based on the information provided by the Underwater Marine Biodiversity Inventory Program (VELMU). The work includes a database of areas and area's description.
Find the report here (only available in Finnish).
The largest integral marine reserve in the Occitanie region (France) has been created within the Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the Agathoise coast. The new Roc de Brescou marine reserve is a result of a partnership between the state, regional, and local (the city of Agde) governments, as well as various users of the sea, including the fishermen. The MPA authorises navigation, but prohibits all forms of professional or recreational fishing, scuba diving, anchoring of vessels and dredging, making it a strong protection zone. It is a result of a collaboration between the small-scale fishers of the area, who initiated the project. In the long-term, the reserve will serve as a nursery, and the fishermen will be able to fish in the immediate surroundings of the MPA.
Read more about this MPA here.
Have a look at the Map of the Week on the Maritime Forum regarding the “MSP: Aquaculture and Wind Farms”! You can learn more about the locations of wind farms and aquaculture sites, as well as the ways maritime space is organised in Europe.
See the Map on the Maritime Form.
Have you missed MSP news from the past two weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our bi-weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past two weeks:
- MSP Platform
- Offshore wind capacity
- Blue economy
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
The European Parliamentary Research Service published a document “ The blue economy: Overview and EU policy framework”, which focuses on the EU policy framework and EU initiatives, as well as actions linked to the blue economy. It provides an overview of the cross-cutting 'key enablers' and a sector by sector analysis.
Find the document here.
According to the recent report of WindEurope, Europe has reached a record 3.6 GW of new offshore wind energy capacity in 2019. The UK (1.7 GW), Germany (1.1 GW), Denmark (374 MW) and Belgium (370 MW) accounted for the most part of this new capacity. The goal of the European Commission is to reach between 230 and 450 GW of offshore wind by 2050 to decarbonise the energy system and deliver the Green Deal. This constitutes 7 GW of new offshore wind a year by 2030 and up to 18 GW a year by 2050. Despite Europe is still quite a way from this objective, progress made in 2019 brings European offshore wind capacity to 22GW.
For more information see the report of WindEurope.
Have you missed MSP news from the past two weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our bi-weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past two weeks:
- MSP news
- Marine Spatial Planning: Sustainably Managing Our Seas at a Global Level | Ecomagazine, January/February 2020, p. 20-25.
- Public events related to the Irish Draft NMPF
- Renewable energy
- Call for projects, papers & posters
- New practices & projects
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
Following the extension of the consultation period of the Irish Draft Marine Planning Framework, the related public events have been rescheduled and published:
- Wednesday, 12 February 2020, 6-8 pm.
Offshore Renewable Energy
Arklow Bay Hotel, Arklow, Co.Wicklow, Y14 DX02
- Monday, 17 February 2020, 11-1 pm.
Marine Environment
St. Laurence's, Technological University Dublin, Grange Gorman, Dublin, D07 E244
- Monday, 2 March 2020, 6-8 pm.
Fisheries
School of Tourism, Letterkenny Institute of Technology Campus, Shore Road, Killybegs, Co. Donegal, F94 DV52
- Monday, 23 March 2020, 6-8 pm. (CANCELLED)
Fisheries
Kinsale Hotel and Spa, Rathmore, Co. Cork, P17 F542
- Tuesday, 31 March 2020, 6-8 pm. (CANCELLED)
Ports & Harbours
Wexford Town Library, Mallin Street, Ferrybank South, Wexford, Y35 AY20
The consultation period closes at noon on Thursday, 9 April 2020.
For more information and submissions, see the page of the Public consultation on the Draft NMPF
Are you looking to enhance your knowledge about MSP in Europe? Discover recent additions to the platform here.
Practices Database:
- Recommendations for maritime spatial planning for sustainable blue economies - Plan4Blue
- A guide to maritime spatial planning with nature in mind - Seas at Risk
- PlanWise4Blue Application - Pan Baltic Scope
- Our Energy, Our Future - WindEurope
- MarineBirdOilMap - SEO Bird Life
- Decision Support Tool for Blue Economy in Marine Protected Areas (DST-MPA) - PHAROS4MPAs
- INFOMAR - Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for Maritime Transport - PHAROS4MPAs
- Safeguarding Marine Protected Areas in the growing Mediterranean Blue Economy - Recommendations for the offshore wind energy sector - PHAROS4MPAs
- Comparison of North Sea EIAs and SEAs of maritime spatial plans and wind energy development - An analysis of similarities and differences between North Sea countries in benefit of the SEANSE project - SEANSE
- Multiple conservation designations: what impact on the effectiveness of marine protected areas in the Irish Sea? - International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology
- Enhancing stakeholder engagement: Analysis of experiences and insights (MMO1152) - Marine Management Organisation
- Spatial planning in Europe and Central Asia – Enhancing the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystem services - Landscape and Urban Planning Journal - Vol. 196, 2020
- Testing CEAF (Common Environmental Assessment Framework) in SEANSE case studies - Impact of piling for wind farms on North Sea harbour porpoise population - SEANSE
- Testing the CEAF (Common Environmental Assessment Framework) modelling tool on three SEANSE scenarios: collision mortality and displacement of four seabird species - SEANSE
- Towards supporting collaborative spatial planning: Conceptualization of a Maptable tool through user stories - University of Twente – Netherlands
MSP Projects:
- MSP and the Impacts of Climate Change
- GRASS - Growing algae sustainably in the Baltic Sea
- ANDIKAT - Diving routes in marine protected areas of the Eastern Mediterranean - Development of diving tourism network
- RETROUT - Development, promotion and sustainable management of the Baltic Sea Region as a coastal fishing tourism destination
- CHANGE WE CARE - Climate challenges on coastal and transitional changing areas: Weaving a Cross-Adriatic response
- Co-Evolve4BG - Co-evolution of coastal human activities & Med natural systems for sustainable tourism & Blue Growth in the Mediterranean
- MarPAMM - Marine Protected Area Management and Monitoring
January
The deadline for applying to the EU Sustainable Energy Awards that will take place within EU Sustainable Energy Week has been extended to 10 February 2020.
This call is relevant for innovations dealing with energy efficiency and renewables. Projects must be ongoing or concluded after 30 June 2019.
Find the different awards categories on the event page on our platform or on their dedicated webpage.
Can fisheries and offshore wind turbines co-exist? This was the title of the event recently organised by the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries.
The answer: “of course, is yes – but the happy coexistence of offshore wind and fisheries requires specific conditions".
The development of renewable energy is crucial. With currently 20 GW of offshore wind energy being produced, Europe could reach its goals through the use of only 3% of European sea space, allowing for provision of 30% of Europe´s electricity needs. To this end, MSP is essential to avoid or minimize spatial conflicts. Further, every site is unique, therefore cooperation between different stakeholder is a key element.
To learn more about how fisheries and wind turbines can co-exist, see the article of WindEurope.
DEME concessions and PMV just announced that they want to produce green hydrogen in the Port of Oostende in the north of Belgium.
“The term ‘green hydrogen’ is thus used when green electricity is available that converts water into hydrogen via electrolysis. In other words, green hydrogen is hydrogen produced on the basis of renewable energy”.
By the end of 2020, a capacity of 2.26 GW will exist along the Belgian coast, and the new marine spatial plan provides space for more turbines, this means that around 4 GW could come from green energy.
Read more about this on the DEME website.
The Conference MSP NATURE 2020, on the integration of nature conservation into Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), will take place in Berlin in April 2020. The Call for Papers and Posters is now open, you can submit your abstract before 29 February 2020. Abstracts for Papers and Posters can be submitted for the following sessions:
- Fundamentals - Legal and planning framework for Marine Spatial Planning;
- MSP - national and international examples;
- Marine Nature Conservation;
- Ecosystem-Based-Approach - Integration of Nature Conservation into MSP.
For submission, see the following link, and for more information see the event page on our platform.
Have you missed MSP news from the past two weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our bi-weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past two weeks:
- Focus on country MSP
- Project updates
- Call for content
- Ocean and wildlife protection
- How to fight marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea
- A new vision for the Ocean | World Economic Forum
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
The PHAROS4MPAs´ project page on our platform has been updated. The project published seven recommendations and policy briefs on the following sectors: aquaculture, cruise, leisure boating, maritime transport, offshore wind energy, recreational fisheries and small-scale fisheries. The aim of these final deliverables is to provide advice on how the environmental impact of seven sectors can be prevented or minimized.
Find all these final deliverables here as well as an online tool to help you in receiving the recommendations that concern you.
The EU MSP Platform website is constantly updated with Maritime Spatial Planning projects currently implemented or completed. For instance, two recently completed projects, PHAROS4MPAs and MarSP can be found on our project page in the form of synthetic descriptions, with contacts as well as direct links to outputs and online resources.
Find out more about these and more than 170 other MSP projects with our online searchable database.
The Biodiversity Protection Community projects, co-financed by the Interreg-Med Programme, just published a report “Mediterranean Biodiversity and Marine Litter: An interaction knowledge base” to help stakeholders and policymakers find a way to fight marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea.
Find the report and more information about the Biodiversity Protection Community here.
Last December the Welsh Government published new documents to improve understanding of the recently adopted Welsh National Marine Plan (12/11/2019). You can now find:
- An overview of the WNMP, which summarises the plan;
- A “Vision, objectives and policies” document, which summarise WNMP policies;
- An animation about the marine plan on the YouTube Channel of the Welsh Government;
- A report about sustainability appraisal post adoption of the WNMP.
For more information about this National Marine Plan, see the website of the Welsh Government.
The consultation period of the Irish draft National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) has been extended to Thursday 9th April at 15:00.
This is Ireland´s first marine planning framework, public events are being held to promote awareness and facilitate public and stakeholder participation on the draft NMPF, the first event will take place on Wednesday 12th February in the Arklow Bay Hotel from 18:00 to 20:00.
For more information and submissions, see the page of the Public consultation on the Draft NMPF.
The Journal of Ocean Technology, which is a scientific publication of the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, is launching a call for content. The subject of this summer issue will focus on Marine Spatial Planning. The Journal wants an international perspective on the subject, therefore all technical papers, essays and short articles concerning this issue are welcomed.
Deadline:
- Technical paper submissions: 21 February 2020;
- Expression of interest for essays or short articles: 21 February 2020 (for submission of materials: April 24, 2020).
For more information about submission see the call description.
The PHAROS4MPAs project recently published seven recommendations and policy briefs concerning offshore windfarms, maritime traffic and ports, cruise and super yachts, leisure boating, recreational fisheries, aquaculture and small-scale fisheries. Their aims are to explain how the environmental impacts of those seven sectors can be prevented or minimized.
The end of 2019 was marked by the dissemination of these reports to MSP national authorities during the MSP Global Forum held in Riga. MPAs were reaffirmed as being a critical part of the MSP approach.
Find these recommendations on the Project page and soon in the Practices database of our platform!
Have you missed MSP news from the past couple of weeks? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our bi-weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from the past few weeks:
- Countries' recent progress in MSP
-
Importance of the joint creation of ICZM and MSP
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
The Coastal Portal is an initiative to provide users with clear access to information and data related to the functions and activities that take place in the Belgian part of the North Sea and the Belgian coastal zone. Last week this portal updated its maps meaning that they are now fully up to date with the new and second marine spatial plan (MSP) for the Belgian part of the North Sea. Changes and novelties are available here as well as the two new maps about open space and salinization.
2019
December
The vision phase of the Maritime Spatial Plan in Finland is in progress, with work launched in October 2019. A national workshop and four regional workshops on sustainable use of the seas were held, their main goals were to analyse synergies and conflicts between different activities in order to guide and direct stakeholders and planners involved in MSP. This phase will run until March 2020.
Find more information on the website of MSP in Finland.
The 21st meeting of the contracting parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (the Barcelona Convention) took place in Naples on 4th December 2019. The 10th and 11th points of the Declaration reaffirm the importance of the joint creation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in order to promote sustainable and synergic uses of marine and coastal areas and resources, as well as to advance the green transition.
During the session, Sergio Costa, Minister of Environment, Land and Sea, Italy, said that the Naples Ministerial Declaration is “not just a policy document, but a manifesto that is oriented towards actions that puts countries on track to tackling common challenges.”
The Scottish National Marine Plan, which was published in 2015, continues to be implemented. It established the strategic planning framework for the sustainable use of Scotland’s marine resources.
With respect to this Marine Scotland recently published a Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters. This sectoral plan, put out on 18 December 2019, is now under public consultation until 25 March 2020.
Moreover, eleven Scottish Marine Regions have been created, with the Shetland Isles being one of the first two regions to prepare a regional marine planning. The draft Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan (SIRMP) is under public consultation since 9 September 2019 until 30 December 2019. It is expected to be finalized in 2020, for adoption by Scottish Ministers.
On the 17th December 2019 the Marine and Water Authority of Sweden proposed, for the first time, the final version of its MSP to the government. Sweden put forward three maritime spatial plans, one for the Gulf of Bothnia, one for the Baltic Sea and one for the North Sea.
The MSP covers 123,000 square kilometres, about the same size as a quarter of Sweden's land area, and takes in the entire economic zone and most of the territorial sea. The proposal is available here in Swedish.
Have you missed MSP news from this week? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from this week:
- Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira working on cross-border planning
- North Sea jointly tackling the new EU offshore renewable objectives
- MSP opportunities in Italy
- Issues of integration around the Irish Marine Plan
Have a pleasant weekend and see you next year for more MSP news in a nutshell!
The European MSP Platform´s North Sea MSP expert Patrycja Enet will attend the final conference of the SEANSE project in Rotterdam the 9-10 January 2020.
She can be contacted through her email northsea@msp-platform.eu.
The Maritime Spatial Planning Forum - Global Meets Regional - took place from the 19th to the 21st November 2019 in Riga, Latvia. It was a joint event for the 4th International MSP forum, 3rd Baltic MSP Forum, as well as the final conference of the Pan Baltic Scope project. The focus was on global and regional MSP topics and the results of the Pan Baltic Scope project. Key-note speeches, plenaries and workshops all took place over the three days, you can find the results of these activities in the event page.
The forum was jointly organised by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, VASAB, Pan Baltic Scope and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Have you missed MSP news from this week? Don't worry, it is possible to catch up thanks to our weekly review. Here you can find a selection of some of the most relevant news from this week:
- 450 GW of offshore wind for Europe by 2050!
- Europe's Wind Industry Needs More Sea Space - Marine Link
- EU goals for 450 GW of offshore wind are achievable, says WindEurope - New Europe
- 450 GW possible in Europe with grid investment and spatial planning - Riviera Maritime Media
- Irish Draft National Marine Planning Framework published
- Maritime Spatial Planning Forum in Riga
- Only 1.8% of EU MPAs with management plans!
Have a pleasant weekend and see you soon for more MSP news in a nutshell!
On the 18 and 19 November 2019, in Riga, the MSP Assistance Mechanism organised the 17th Member States Expert Group on Maritime Spatial Planning.
Over the two days the Member State representatives updated attendees on progress in MSP implementation in their countries, heard from DG MARE on several upcoming studies, and were briefed by several projects on progress and deliverables.
The event was also an opportunity for the new MSP Assistance Mechanism to present its work plan, this was done by Christopher McDougall (Project Leader). Member States were reminded of the support that the team will be providing to them on an ongoing basis, and encouraged all to contact them with any queries they might have.
Interested in seeing our experts? Check out their short videos here.
A new report by WindEurope, a non-profit association, shows that it is feasible to deploy 450 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. The report "Our energy, our future" highlights the fact that Europe can go carbon-neutral by 2050, as per European Commission plans. With currently 20 GW of offshore wind energy being produced, Europe could reach its goals through the use of only 3% of European sea space, allowing for provision of 30% of Europe´s electricity needs. This increase could create thousands of jobs in Europe, whilst also providing clean power and cheap electricity for the population. The reports states that to reach this target, countries must work together on their maritime spatial planning.
For more information see the report of WindEurope, and watch the video on their website.