ESE2 - Criteria for the representation of the social and economic dimension of MPAs#
Description#
ESE2 provides socio-economic and governance criteria to support the prioritisation of proposals for new MPAs, revised MPA boundaries, reallocations, and more. Collectively, these criteria provide a framework for considering the MSP process and ensuring a comprehensive approach to decision-making. Regarding governance criteria, ESE2 is based on a common regulatory framework at the EU level, which leads to a homogenization in prioritising them across different sites. These criteria are generic and strategic for any MSP process, as well as for the designation or management of an MPA. This part of ESE2 presents, among the steps of an MSP process, the implementation of strategic planning, as well as the need for adaptive management through monitoring and feedback. Regarding the socio-economic criteria, these are expected to vary in relevance for the different sites. The relevance of socio-economic criteria depends on site-specific aspects such as national and local objectives, and the ecosystem under protection. ESE2 also provides links between socio-economic criteria and ecosystem services.This component is of particular importance to be used in stakeholder consultation at site level, when comparing alternative scenarios for MPAs, within and outside of MSP processes.
Criteria for the representation of the social and economic dimension of MPAs. Deliverable – D4.1., under the WP4 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707)).
This report presents preliminary results from a methodology aimed at defining socio-economic and governance criteria for prioritizing proposals related to new areas, boundary adjustments, area relocations, and network corridors within marine management approaches. The study also focuses on identifying Ecosystem Services (ES) that encompass the social dimensions of various spatial management approaches in the marine realm. This method allows quantifying nature’s significance to human communities, bridging the gap between human activities and the services provided by ecosystems. The objectives of this study are centred on defining essential socio-economic and governance criteria, identifying the corresponding ecosystem services, and assessing their societal values within the socio-ecological system of a specific area, thus enhancing the effectiveness of different marine management processes (e.g., Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Protected Area (MPA)).