Climate-smart maritime spatial planning in EU countries#
Description#
General description
Climate change is fundamentally altering marine ecosystems, affecting biodiversity, resource distribution, and ecosystem services. MSP could be important for addressing these challenges by integrating climate-related knowledge, being adaptive to change, and supporting climate adaptation and mitigation measures in spatial planning. While MSP is used widely as a process for the deployment of offshore wind and sometimes also other renewable energy, most of the current MSP processes do not adequately account for climate change risks or impacts.
This policy solution advocates for the development of climate-smart MSP in EU countries, ensuring that MSP frameworks incorporate climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation measures5. By integrating climate-smart principles into MSP, decision-makers can create forward-looking, flexible, and adaptive spatial plans that balance ecological sustainability with economic development.
Main purpose of climate-smart MSP
The main purpose of climate-smart MSP is to integrate climate knowledge into planning evidence and decision-making by utilizing climate projections, ecosystem models, and vulnerability assessments to anticipate climate-driven spatial shifts. This solution aims to ensure proactive and adaptive planning through dynamic ocean management approaches that enable adjustments in response to environmental changes. Additionally, it supports climate adaptation and mitigation by allocating space for ocean-based climate solutions, such as offshore wind farms, as well as nature-based solutions including blue carbon ecosystems, MPAs, and climate refugia, which protect biodiversity and enhance the climate resilience of marine ecosystems.
Effective implementation requires enhancing cross-sectoral coordination by aligning MSP with climate policies, fisheries management, and biodiversity strategies to achieve integrated governance. Finally, a climate-smart assessment framework should be developed to establish standardized methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of climate integration in MSP.
Barriers to climate-smart MSP implementation (in Europe)
Limited integration of climate change considerations:
Most MSP frameworks only acknowledge climate change as a challenge but do not integrate it into specific measures beyond the deployment of offshore wind and lack concrete adaptation and mitigation actions.
Few EU Member States explicitly include climate adaptation measures in their spatial plans (Rilov et al., 2020).
Static planning approaches:
MSP traditionally relies on fixed zoning, which does not account for shifting species distributions and ecosystem changes due to climate change (Frazão Santos et al., 2024).
Lack of anticipatory planning mechanisms such as dynamic zoning and scenario-based forecasting.
Insufficient coordination with climate policies:
Climate and ocean governance frameworks operate in silos, limiting the effectiveness of MSP as a climate adaptation and mitigation tool (UNESCO-IOC, 2021).
Data gaps and uncertainty:
Climate projections and ecosystem models are often underutilized in MSP processes due to data accessibility issues and uncertainties (UNESCO-IOC, 2021).
The need for multi-scenario analysis is not well-integrated into MSP practices.
Implementation
Member states to strengthen the MSP Directive implementation with climate provisions:
Mandate climate-change assessments and adaptation - mitigation planning as core components of national MSP frameworks.
Establish binding climate-smart MSP guidelines at the EU level, ensuring consistency across Member States.
Foster climate smartness through spatial planning and conservation planning:
Prioritize the designation of MPAs that support climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation.
Identify and protect blue carbon ecosystems (e.g., mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes) as natural carbon sinks.
Implement nature-based solutions, such as multi-use offshore wind farms that integrate artificial reefs and marine habitat restoration.
Develop dynamic and adaptive MSP approaches:
Develop and test with planning provisions that foster adaptive MSP frameworks that account for changing oceanographic conditions and resource distribution.
Encourage the use of dynamic ocean management tools to adjust spatial plans as species distributions and ecological conditions shift.
Improve cross-sectoral governance and integration:
Align the implementation of MSP directive more closely with the other EU directives and policies (MSFD, CFP etc.).
Strengthen inter-ministerial and cross-sectoral coordination between climate, energy, biodiversity and maritime sectors to create overall, climate-smart marine governance frameworks.
Enhance data collection and accessibility:
Invest in climate-informed marine spatial data systems to improve climate projections and assessments.
Promote data-sharing platforms such as EMODnet to facilitate climate-driven decision-making in MSP.
Impact and effort
Impact: High
The impact of climate-smart MSP is expected to be high, as it strengthens the role of MSP in climate adaptation and mitigation while enhancing ecosystem resilience, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration. By fostering a proactive approach to climate change, it also reduces conflicts between maritime sectors by promoting both forward-looking and flexible planning and sustainable resource use. Forward-looking plans are more efficient.
Required effort: Moderate to high
The effort required to implement climate-smart MSP is moderate to high. It might require updates to the EU MSP Directive, stronger policy alignment with climate frameworks, and increased investment in data infrastructure, scenario modeling, and decision-support tools. Additionally, capacity-building efforts will be needed to equip MSP authorities and marine planners with the necessary skills to integrate climate considerations into spatial planning effectively.
Climate-smart MSP: good practices
Integration of climate adaptation into MSP: Some EU countries have incorporated climate adaptation considerations into their MSP processes. This is often linked to national climate adaptation strategies, ensuring MSP supports climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. (France, Germany, Sweden)
Alignment with EU Green Deal and EUBS2030: Climate-smart MSPs align with EU-level commitments, including the European Green Deal and the EUBS2030, which call for nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based management in marine planning. (see MSP Green project)
Use of ecosystem-based approaches: Several countries have adopted the EBA in their MSP processes to enhance climate resilience and ensure that climate adaptation strategies consider biodiversity protection.
Development of cross-border cooperation frameworks: Regional Seas Conventions have mechanisms for transboundary collaboration, supporting knowledge sharing on climate adaptation and MSP.
Sweden’s Ecosystem-based MSP: Sweden applies an EBA in MSP, incorporating climate adaptation measures (e.g., climate refugia) to ensure that marine activities do not compromise the resilience of marine ecosystems. The Symphony tool supports the implementation of an EBA by modeling how ecosystem components respond to human pressures.
France’s National Strategy for the Sea and Coast: France has incorporated climate change adaptation into its MSP framework, ensuring that MSP supports both carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.
HELCOM climate change factsheet: HELCOM has integrated climate change considerations into its regional action plan, providing guidelines for how MSP can contribute to climate resilience.
Germany’s Marine Spatial Planning and Climate Adaptation: Germany has integrated climate change projections into its MSP process, using scenario planning to prepare for sea-level rise and changes in marine ecosystem conditions.
The Netherlands’ North Sea Energy Outlook: The Dutch government has included climate-smart principles in the North Sea Plan, prioritizing offshore renewable energy while ensuring that biodiversity considerations are embedded in the planning framework.
Multi-use approaches in the North Sea (e.g., eMSP Project, NESBp project Dutch system of granting permits): Multi-use approaches facilitate climate-smart planning by optimizing space for different sectors (e.g., offshore wind farms combined with aquaculture or nature restoration). These approaches reduce conflicts, enhance resource efficiency, and contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
MPA Europe climate change projection website: The MPA Europe project integrates climate change projections into marine protection to assess future shifts in the distribution of key species. By incorporating species-specific climate projections, planners can adapt MPA networks to ensure long-term biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience.