NIVA Denmark is joining an ambitious new project “Ecosystem-based Marine Spatial Planning in Køge Bay” that will constructively challenge the existing approach to Danish marine management and marine spatial planning, by demonstrating a genuine ecosystem-based approach to marine spatial planning in Denmark with Køge Bay as a test area.

The method builds on Halpern et al. (2008) and the ØKOMAR project (Andersen et al., 2020) and combines data on pressure factors, such as nutrient discharges, hazardous substances, fishing, raw material extraction and construction projects, with data on ecosystem components, such as birdlife, habitat types, eelgrass, stone reefs and fish. By analysing where high pressure and vulnerable nature coincide, the project can map conflict areas in Køge Bay and calculate the cumulative impacts in the bay (HELCOM, 2016).

The method will be updated based on methodological improvements developed and tested within the GES4SEAS project (an EU-funded transnational research project 2023–2026). On this basis, the project will establish two scenarios showing how the bay may develop towards 2050 under different management choices. The scenarios will consist of a realistic 2050 scenario and a GES scenario (“Good Environmental Status”), based on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the latter both locally and in the Baltic Sea.

The purpose of the project is therefore to test and deliver concrete tools and recommendations for authorities and policymakers, so that marine biodiversity and the state of the marine environment become the guiding principles for future marine spatial planning. This will highlight the opportunities for how human activities can be balanced with marine nature and contribute to achieving good environmental status.

The project brings together a strong interdisciplinary partnership consisting of: Tænketanken Hav (project lead), Brøndby Municipality and the Køge Bay Alliance (7 municipalities), Aarhus University (DCE), University of Copenhagen, Democracy x, the Danish Environmental Portal and NIVA Denmark as lead for research-based scenario and data reporting.

Read more about the project here: Via Ritzau or contact research assistant Simon Özkan at simon.ozkan@niva-dk.dk.