Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

Ecosystem approach in maritime spatial planning is the central focus at joint HELCOM-VASAB meeting

To boost coherence in maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region, the 18th Meeting of the joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group (HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG 18-2019) was convened in Hamburg, Germany from on 27 to 28 March 2019.The ecosystem approach and cross-border consultations were identified as some of the key elements for improved regional coherence in maritime spatial planning (MSP).In maritime spatial planning (MSP), the ecosystem-based approach assures sustainable use of marine resources through correlating the impact our activities may have on the environment, taking into account the full array of interactions occurring in the marine ecosystem.At the meeting, it was also advised to consider the forthcoming recommendations of the Pan Baltic Scope project that are due by end of 2019. is a two-year EU-funded project on MSP in the Baltic Sea region that seeks to support national MSP processes in advancing the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach at the Baltic Sea regional level.The meeting was hosted by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in Hamburg, Germany. It was chaired by the Co-Chairs of the Working Group, Ms Katarzyna Krzywda from Poland and Mr Joacim Johannesson from Sweden.

To boost coherence in maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region, the 18th Meeting of the joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group (HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG 18-2019) was convened in Hamburg, Germany from on 27 to 28 March 2019.