Baltic Consensus
A Joint Vision for the Future Use and Protection of the Baltic Sea
The ‘Baltic Consensus’ is an initiative launched by WWF and designed to secure the input of key resource ‘users’ to influence and promote a more efficient, integrated planning and management of the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest maritime areas in the world. In its report ‘Future Trends in the Baltic Sea ’ WWF highlighted the substantial growth trends expected in the region over the next 20 years, in some sectors by as much as several hundred percent. This growth will increase demand for the limited space and resources of the sea and could consequently lead to increased conflicts within maritime sectors, between sectors, and between human uses and nature. New solutions are being proposed - by the European Union, regional fora and national governments -to determine how the resources and space in the Baltic Sea should be planned, managed and shared for the future.
WWF has worked for many years to promote a more efficient, holistic and integrated planning and management of the Baltic Sea in the hope of simultaneously reducing potential conflicts and supporting sustainable development within the capacity of the ecosystem. Governments around the region are moving, some quite swiftly, to address the need for a more effective and integrated approach to sea use management, including spatial planning. However, users of the Baltic Sea resources are, in most cases, only peripherally engaged in this process. We believe that success in shifting the resource use management paradigm depends upon the broad involvement of users and civil society representatives, who have a stake in the future development of this region.
WWF is therefore launching a process we are calling the “Baltic Consensus” – an initiative which aims to secure the input of a representative group of key users of the Baltic Sea’s resources and civil society representatives to reach consensus on joint vision recommendations to influence the sustainable development of the region. The Consensus will build on steps made in other stakeholder forums. It will identify, from the perspective of key user groups and civil society representatives, what is needed to implement a more effective regional sea use management and find areas where different users and interest groups can work together to influence the official processes.
In parallel, WWF will continue its engagement and outreach work with national governments and international fora (e.g. the European Union and HELCOM ) to promote the need for a more coordinated approach to the planning, protection and management of the Baltic Sea’s resources with a focus on Maritime Spatial Planning as a tool for Integrated Sea Use Management . It is envisioned that this ongoing outreach and the Consensus process will be synergistic and complementary.
The Consensus process will:
• Demystify the current system of governance and processes related to Maritime Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea by defining, in practical terms, who is in ‘charge’ of the Baltic Sea. (Mapping the relationships of governance between and among countries and sectors in the region).
• Create a shared understanding of the potential conflicts and synergies related to the future resource needs of representative users groups in the Baltic Sea region and the natural resource limits.
• Stimulate a spirited debate and provide recommendations in order to influence the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region.
• Identify where, when and how different users and interest groups can work together to influence the development and delivery of Maritime Spatial Planning as a tool for Integrated Sea Use Management in the Baltic Sea through local, national, regional and international processes.
• Provide a bridge to existing processes and institutions currently engaged in the planning, management and protection of the Baltic Sea, by disseminating the recommendations from the Consensus effort and lobbying for the implementation of these recommendations.
The Baltic Consensus will be an independent initiative, facilitated in its early stages by WWF, but eventually driven and owned by all of the participants.
WWF has worked for many years to promote a more efficient, holistic and integrated planning and management of the Baltic Sea in the hope of simultaneously reducing potential conflicts and supporting sustainable development within the capacity of the ecosystem. Governments around the region are moving, some quite swiftly, to address the need for a more effective and integrated approach to sea use management, including spatial planning. However, users of the Baltic Sea resources are, in most cases, only peripherally engaged in this process. We believe that success in shifting the resource use management paradigm depends upon the broad involvement of users and civil society representatives, who have a stake in the future development of this region.
WWF is therefore launching a process we are calling the “Baltic Consensus” – an initiative which aims to secure the input of a representative group of key users of the Baltic Sea’s resources and civil society representatives to reach consensus on joint vision recommendations to influence the sustainable development of the region. The Consensus will build on steps made in other stakeholder forums. It will identify, from the perspective of key user groups and civil society representatives, what is needed to implement a more effective regional sea use management and find areas where different users and interest groups can work together to influence the official processes.
In parallel, WWF will continue its engagement and outreach work with national governments and international fora (e.g. the European Union and HELCOM ) to promote the need for a more coordinated approach to the planning, protection and management of the Baltic Sea’s resources with a focus on Maritime Spatial Planning as a tool for Integrated Sea Use Management . It is envisioned that this ongoing outreach and the Consensus process will be synergistic and complementary.
The Consensus process will:
• Demystify the current system of governance and processes related to Maritime Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea by defining, in practical terms, who is in ‘charge’ of the Baltic Sea. (Mapping the relationships of governance between and among countries and sectors in the region).
• Create a shared understanding of the potential conflicts and synergies related to the future resource needs of representative users groups in the Baltic Sea region and the natural resource limits.
• Stimulate a spirited debate and provide recommendations in order to influence the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region.
• Identify where, when and how different users and interest groups can work together to influence the development and delivery of Maritime Spatial Planning as a tool for Integrated Sea Use Management in the Baltic Sea through local, national, regional and international processes.
• Provide a bridge to existing processes and institutions currently engaged in the planning, management and protection of the Baltic Sea, by disseminating the recommendations from the Consensus effort and lobbying for the implementation of these recommendations.
The Baltic Consensus will be an independent initiative, facilitated in its early stages by WWF, but eventually driven and owned by all of the participants.
Related links
In order to make space for marine species and habitats as well as sustainable human use, it is time to start planning and managing our use of the sea in a better way.
