Baltic Sea Protected Areas

Inspired by work in Kosterhavets and Ytre Hvaler National Parks, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) decided to work with its country administrative boards to integrate adaptive management in a network of 5 Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs). FOS has supported this initiative by offering process guidance and technical assistance to piloting Adaptive Collaborative Management as an alternative to more traditional top-down legislative protection approaches. Collaboration in this context means collaboration on different government levels, different sectors and different municipalities. This kind of collaboration and adaptive management of coastal and marine areas requires new governance models and new ways of thinking about the conservation of nature – in the context of sustainable development. The use of the Open Standards as common language has been instrumental in shaping learning and collaboration across these regions.