Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Transboundary maritime spatial planning: a Baltic Sea perspective

  • Published:
Journal of Coastal Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Maritime Spatial Planning is a new form of spatial planning emerging at the intersection of expanding demands for commercial use of marine space and increasing concerns for marine ecosystems. Many coastal countries around Europe are presently engaged in this field -not only by their national activities but also cooperating across borders through transboundary dialogue, joint strategies and even considering joint planning. In the Baltic Sea region transboundary cooperation takes all these forms. Such activities, including the Plan Bothnia pilot planning of the Bothnian Sea between Sweden and Finland, bring into surface differences in planning procedures and approaches, views on the environment, compatibilities of geographical data and the general complexity of the international-national legal framework. Creativity and transparent, accountable procedures are needed to ensure that such initiatives are both useful and legitimate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. It is quite illustrative that in the previous EU treaty (Treaty of Nice) the word “sustainable” was mainly used in phrases like “sustainable balance of payments”, or in contexts where “sustainable economic development” could have been interpreted simply as “non-interrupted economic development”. Slightly clearer wordings referring to environmental sustainable economic development is included in the present EU treaty (Treaty of Lisbon, Dec 2009-).

Abbreviations

MSP:

Maritime or Marine, Spatial Planning

EU:

European Union

HELCOM:

Helsinki Commission

VASAB:

Visions and strategies for the Baltic Sea 2010

EIA:

Environmental Impact Assessment

GIS:

Geographic Information System

IMO:

International Maritime Organisation

AIS:

Automatic Identification System

BSPA:

(HELCOM) Baltic Sea Protected Areas

EEZ:

Exclusive Economic Zone

WWF:

World Wide Fund for Nature

References

  • Anon. (2002) Finland’s National land Use Guidelines. Issued by the Council of State on November 30/2000 Environment Guide 92: 38 (not valid for certain chapters, revised 31st March 2009)

  • Anon. (2010) Planering på djupet—fysisk planering av havet (in Swedish). SOU 2010:91. 405 pp

  • Backer H (2008) Indicators and scientific knowledge in regional Baltic Sea environmental policy. ICES J Mar Sci 65:1398–1401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cieślak A, Jakubowska P, Ścibior K, Staśkiewicz A, Zaucha J (2009) Compendium on Maritime Spatial Planning systems in the Baltic Sea Region countries. Maritime Institute in Gdańsk. 145 pp

  • Douvere F (2008) The importance of marine spatial planning in advancing ecosystem-based sea use management. Mar Policy 32:762–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douvere F, Ehler C (2008) Introduction. Mar Policy 32:759–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehler C, Douvere F (2009) Marine Spatial Planning: a step-by-step approach toward ecosystem-based management Intergovernmental oceanographic Commission and Man and the Biosphere programme. IOC Manuals and Guides 53 ICAM Dossier 6. UNESCO, Paris. 99 pp

  • Ekebom J, Jäänheimo J, Reker J, Kindström M, Lindblad C, Mattisson A, Sandström A, Jermakovs V (eds) (2008) Towards Marine Spatial planning in the Baltic Sea. Technical Summary Report 4 of the Interreg IIIB Neighbourhood programme project “BALANCE”. 132 pp

  • EU (1999) ESDP-European Spatial development Perspective: towards balanced and sustainable Development of the territory of the European Union (agreed at the informal Council of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning in Potsdam, May 1999). Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg 82 pp

  • EU (2001) Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment. Official Journal of the European Communities L 197/30

  • EU (2007a) COM(2007)575: An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union

  • EU (2007b) SEC(2007)1278 Accompanying document to COM(2007)575: An Integrated maritime Policy for the European Union

  • EU (2007c) Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, signed at Lisbon, 13 December 2007

  • EU (2007d) Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing a multiannual plan for the cod stocks in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks, amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 779/97. Official Journal of the European Union. L 248/1

  • EU (2008a) COM(2008)791 Roadmap for Maritime Spatial planning: achieving common principles in the EU

  • EU (2008b) Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 17 June 2008. Establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive). Official Journal of the European Union. L164/19

  • EU (2009) COM(2009) 248: European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

  • EU (2011a) COM (2011)31: Renewable energy: progressing towards the 2020 target

  • EU (2011b) IP/11/353: Commission seeks views on how to reduce pressure on Europe’s coastal and marine areas (press release 24 March 2011)

  • Faludi A (2007) Making sense of the territorial agenda of the European Union. European Journal of Spatial Planning 25:1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Franckx E (1996) 7. Maritime boundary delimitation in the Baltic Sea. In: Platzöder R, Verlaan PA (eds) The Baltic Sea: New Developments in national policies and International Cooperation. Kluwer Law, Netherlands, pp 167–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedmann J, Bryson J, Hyslop J, Balducci A, Wiewel W, Albrechts L, Healey P (2004) Strategic spatial planning and the longer range. Plann Theo Pract 5(1):49–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall P (2002) Urban and regional planning -Fourth edition. Routledge, London and New York, 237 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrichs B, Schultz-Zehden A, Toben S (2005) The INTERREG III B BaltCoast Project -A pilot initiative on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Baltic Sea (2002–2005). Coastline Reports (EUCC) 5:76 pp

  • HELCOM (1992) Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992 (entered into force on 17 January 2000)

  • HELCOM (2007a) HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (adopted by the HELCOM Ministerial meeting, Krakow, Poland 15th November 2007)

  • HELCOM (2007b) HELCOM recommendation 28E/9: Development of broad-scale marine spatial planning principles in the Baltic Sea area

  • HELCOM (2008) Mariners Routeing Guide Baltic Sea. online version: http://www.helcom.dk/map/ (viewed 17th December 2008)

  • HELCOM (2009a) Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea -An Integrated Thematic Assessment on biodiversity and nature conservation in the Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings 116B: 253 pp

  • HELCOM (2009b) Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea-An integrated thematic assessment of the effects of nutrient enrichment in the Baltic Sea region. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings 115B: 148 pp

  • HELCOM (2010) Ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea- HELCOM initial holistic assessment. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings 122:64 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • IMO (2005) MEPC 53/24/Add.1 Annex 24: Resolution MEPC.136(53) Adopted on 22 July 2005 -Designation of the Baltic Sea Area as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area

  • Jay S (2010) Built at sea: marine management and the construction of marine spatial planning. Town Plan Rev 81(2):173–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koskenniemi M (2007) The fate of public international law: between technique and politics. Mod Law Rev 70(1):1–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landau R (1972) On Russell Ackoff’s strategies of management. Archit Des 10:635–636

    Google Scholar 

  • Maes F (2008) The international legal framework for marine spatial planning. Mar Policy 32:797–810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McHarg I (2006) The essential Ian McHarg: writings on design and nature. In F. R. Steiner (Ed.). Washington DC, Island Press (164 pp)

  • McHarg IL (1969) Design with nature (reprinted as 25th anniversary edition 1994). 198 pp

  • Rittel HWJ, Webber MM (1973) Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sci 4:155–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel C (2010) Unplanning: livable cities and political choices. Preservation Institute (April 8, 2010). 140 pp

  • UNECE (1991) Convention on transboundary environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context (Espoo, 25 February 1991)

  • UNECE (2003) Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Kyiv, 21. May 2003)

  • UNEP (2010) Global Synthesis: A report from the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans for the Marine Biodiversity Assessment and Outlook Series. UNEP Regional Seas Programme. 55 pp

  • VASAB (2009) Vilnius declaration: towards better territorial integration of the Baltic Sea region (Vilnius, October 16, 2009)

  • Zaucha J (2000) VASAB 2010 -Common approaches of different planning systems. In Böhme K, Lange B, Hansen M (eds) Property development and land use planning around the Baltic Sea. Nordregio p 3–18

  • Zaucha J (2008) Sea use planning and ICZM -East West Window project WG 3 Final report: 57 pp

Download references

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Jacek Zaucha, Lars Backer, Andrzej Cieslak, Tiina Tihlman, and Jussi Rautsi for constructive comments on first drafts of this paper. The eventually remaining errors in facts and reasoning are naturally my own. I have received financial assistance of the European Union (contract 21.0401/2007/485831/SUB/D2 “HELCOM SCALE” and Integrated Maritime Policy action MARE 2009/16 “PLAN BOTHNIA”) during the writing of this paper. Any views expressed can in no way be taken to represent the official opinion of the European Union or HELCOM.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HELCOM (Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission), Katajanokanlaituri 6 B, FI-00160, Helsinki, Finland

    Hermanni Backer

Authors
  1. Hermanni Backer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hermanni Backer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Backer, H. Transboundary maritime spatial planning: a Baltic Sea perspective. J Coast Conserv 15, 279–289 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-011-0156-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-011-0156-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation