The project develops proposals and recommendations for MSP on the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion and on two Focus Areas represented by the Northern Adriatic Sea
(Focus Area 1) and the Southern Adriatic – Northern Ionian Sea (Focus Area 2) (figure 1).
The area, as a whole and at the scale of the Focus Areas, has a high potential for the application of MSP, based on the three aspects derived from the ten key principles, used in the study carried out in 2011 for DG MARE (PRC, 2011):
- Purpose of MSP in the area: type and intensity of uses as well as the ecological value of the marine area; economic effects of a better management of conflicting uses;
- Feasibility of MSP in the area: scientific data/knowledge base, institutional capacity, legal and administrative supportive framework and stakeholders involvement;
- Conditions for cross-border/international cooperation: in case the marine area falls beyond national jurisdiction, as is the case for great part of the Adriatic-Ionian Sea.
Figure 1 - Study area.
The analysis carried out at the Macroregion scale will produce results of strategic relevance, also supporting the Action Plan of the Macroregion Strategy. Moreover, such spatial scale is the right scale to develop MSP for elements such as transport and cruise traffic, ecosystems, fishery and aquaculture, oil&gas, energy and to provide adequate boundary conditions to the analysis on the 2 Focus Areas. The analysis on the Focus Areas will enter in more details of the site-specific environmental, socio-economic, regulatory and governance conditions, thus allowing to develop more focused, precise, short-term and locally applicable measures and recommendations.
The analysis carried out at the Macroregion scale will produce results of strategic relevance, also supporting the Action Plan of the Macroregion Strategy. Moreover, such spatial scale is the right scale to develop MSP for elements such as transport and cruise traffic, ecosystems, fishery and aquaculture, oil&gas, energy and to provide adequate boundary conditions to the analysis on the 2 Focus Areas. The analysis on the Focus Areas will enter in more details of the site-specific environmental, socio-economic, regulatory and governance conditions, thus allowing to develop more focused, precise, short-term and locally applicable measures and recommendations.The methodological approach proposed follows the suggestion and requirements of the call for proposal and the recommendations of the international guidelines on MSP available, highlighting some key activities, such as data collection and management, stakeholder involvement, cross-disciplinary and cross-area analysis and synthesis of the results, also intended for widespread dissemination.