Breakfast Seminar on Effective Maritime Spatial Planning Regulation Framework and Implementation Challenges
In a breakfast seminar on the 21. September 2022 at 9am, Leila Neimane from the University of Latvia shared her preliminary findings from here research project concerning effective maritime spatial planning regulation framework and implementation challenges and best practice examples from the Baltic Sea with the Research group for Natural Resource Law, Environmental Law and Development Law
Main content
The issue relating to efficient and sustainable land utilization and coexistence between different industries are becoming increasingly relevant also in a Norwegian context. Norway is a country with vast maritime zones including the Barents Sea, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and Skagerrak. This necessitates an overall management plan and legal regime. In addition, Norway has, as many other European countries including the Baltic States, adjoining maritime zones with other countries, which actualizes the need for international cooperation on maritime planning and management. As emphasized by Leila in her project "Effective Maritime Spatial Planning Regulation Framework and Implementation Challenges and Best Practice Examples for the Context of the Baltic Sea", this necessitates management plans and legal framework that balances utilization and preservation based on knowledge of ecological functions, value and vulnerability together with knowledge of current and future value creation across national borders.
The main purpose with Leila's project is to provide transparency of the legal environment, facilitating the implementation and application of effective maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea for implementers of the legal norms, industry representatives and spatial planning specialists in daily practice. The framework shall ensure compliance with the principles of sustainability, efficiency, effectiveness, and good governance of maritime spatial planning. Her research especially focuses on the challenges, risks and limitations related to the planning and implementation of maritime spatial planning. The plan is that the research shall result in a user manual for the national context using examples from other Baltic coastal states.
The breakfast seminar had a large turnout from both physical and digital participants who showed great interest in the topic. The participants asked several questions along the way, shared experiences from their own research and drew parallels to similar issues experienced in Norway today, where maritime spatial planning for a long time has been focus area for the Norwegian government.
The research group thanks Leila for her visit and the exciting presentation of her research project!