Best practice and scientific publications

Physical damage caused by the mechanical impact of bottom fishing gears on epibenthic community can reduce the biomass and coverage of habitat-forming species as well as the richness and diversity...

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is currently practiced by almost half of the world’s nations. While some countries are working on their second, third or fourth round of MSP, many are...

The European Union has a legally-binding framework for the establishment of maritime spatial plans in the sea areas covered by the exclusive economic zones of its Member States by 2021...

Over the past decade, marine/maritime spatial planning (MSP) has matured from a concept to a practical approach in advancing sustainable development and management of marine space. However, MSP still remains...

Human activities and natural processes interact with each other in complex ways along the land-sea interface. In order to promote sustainable use of coastal and marine resources, Land-Sea Interactions (LSI)...

Scenarios constitute narratives or storylines that reasonably describe how the future is likely to unfold. The usefulness of scenarios in Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is now recognised within policy and...

Determining the overall effects of human activities on the estuaries, seas and coasts, as a precursor to marine management, requires quantifying three aspects. These are: (a) the area in which...

The worlds’ oceans and seas have tremendous potential to contribute to the provision of food, feed, energy and natural resources. The emerging concepts of “Blue Growth” and “Blue Economy” have...

The Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive was ratified (2014/89/EU) along the Strategy of the European Union (EU) on the Blue Economy to contribute to the effective management of maritime activities...

Maritime spatial planning (MSP) is a decision-making process for managing human activities at sea. Stakeholder participation is critical to MSP processes. Spatial decision support systems (SDSSs) can be effective tools...

Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning is a complex, multi-disciplinary process requiring a diverse set of resources, skills and expertise, as well as institutional capacities to effectively plan, implement, monitor and evaluate spatial...

Marine and estuarine management requires an excellent understanding of the interacting, interrelated and interdependent sub-systems comprising ecological, societal and management complexity. Managing such a complex system sustainably relies on knowing...