Co-creation of socio-ecological systems knowledge to adopt an Ecosystem-based Approach and Land-Sea Interactions in maritime spatial planning

The European Union (EU) Directive on maritime spatial planning (MSP) (2014/89/EU) requires EU coastal states to design maritime spatial plans to coordinate maritime actions in a sustainable manner. In Finland, MSP is the joint responsibility of authorities at the regional level with differing development visions and operating environments. To support the adoptation of the planning concepts of an Ecosystem-based Approach (EBA) and Land-Sea Interactions (LSI) in MSP, they have been embedded into planning work through adopting the social-ecological systems (SES) approach in a co-creation process, which has been open to anyone interested, including sectoral representatives as well as experts at all national to local levels. This research examines the co-creation of shared knowledge among MSP authorities and stakeholders, as well as the ways in which the utilized SES approach has helped to generate consensus on the sustainable use of natural resources. We examined the co-creation of systemic thinking among four maritime sectors: fishing, fish farming, offshore wind energy, and tourism. Results indicate that the co-creation process helped evolve shared knowledge and deeper systemic understanding on the direct and indirect links between the good state of the marine environment and human wellbeing, as well as which actions support sustainable development and sustainable blue economy at the local and regional levels. However, the level of advancement varies among sectors. Nonetheless, evolved systemic thinking has supported the adoptation of the concepts of EBA and LSI in the bottom-up MSP approach and resilient adaptive governance in MSP.