Monitoring and Evaluation of Spatially Managed Areas

MESMA has focused on marine spatial planning and aimed to produce integrated management tools (concepts, models and guidelines) for Monitoring, Evaluation and implementation of Spatially Managed marine Areas, based on European collaboration.

MESMA has supplied innovative methods and integrated strategies for governments, local authorities, stakeholders, and other managerial bodies for planning and decision making at different local, national, and European scales, for sustainable development of European seas.

At the heart of the MESMA project was the MESMA framework. This framework explores in a logical way how the management initiatives in a certain area were established, so that they can be evaluated and monitored. In cases where no management plans are available, following this framework leads to recommendations for future plans.

Strategic tools for sustainable development of European seas and coastal areas were developed to explore how to combine an optimized use with a sustained high quality ecosystem, taking into account ecological and economic differences. Case studies, carried out in the Baltic, the N-E Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea were used to develop an integrated toolbox that can be applied throughout Europe.

Project partners

• IMARES – Lead partner (NL);
•  UCL (UK);
• Senckenberg (DE);
• Universiteit Gent (BE);
• Hellenic Center for Maritime Research (GR);
• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Institute of Oceanology (BG);
• Institute of Marine Research (NO);
• Coastal and Maritime Research Center (IE);
• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT);
• AZTI Technology Centre (ES);
• Malta Agriculture and Payment Agency (MT);
• National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DK);
• Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (UK);
• Heriot Watt University (UK);
• Deltares (NL);
• Aquabiota/Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NO);
• TNO (NL);
• Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (BE);
• Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institut (DE);
• Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (BE);
• Institute of Oceanology - Polish Academy of Sciences (PL).