Imagine trying to organize a giant city map where fish, ships, and wind farms all need their own space without fighting. This project created a smart guidebook and digital tool to help decide where to protect nature and where to allow business. It ensures that the 'green zones' are actually connected, like a series of stepping stones for sea life, even as the ocean warms up.
Companies operating in the ocean face unpredictable regulatory changes and conflicts between industrial use and nature conservation. This leads to costly delays in permitting and operational risks.
A Decision Support System (DSS) featuring operational EBSA metrics, 2D and 3D connectivity models, and a step-by-step implementation checklist.
If you are a wind farm developer dealing with conflicting environmental regulations and site selection risks — this project developed a Decision Support System (DSS) that identifies low-conflict zones. This allows for streamlined planning and faster permitting by aligning with the 30% marine protection targets.
If you are a shipping lane operator dealing with changing maritime boundaries and conservation zones — this project developed connectivity-based network design tools. This helps in predicting how protected areas will shift, reducing the risk of operational disruptions.
If you are a consultancy dealing with complex biodiversity mapping for clients — this project developed operational EBSA metrics and 3D biophysical models. These tools provide a standardized way to rank area relevance and map biological hotspots.
Based on available project data, no specific pricing or licensing costs are mentioned as the project was funded by an EU contribution of EUR 3,587,827.
Yes, the system was tested and applied across eight diverse European planning sites, ranging from coastal areas to the deep sea and transboundary contexts.
Based on available project data, specific IP or licensing agreements are not detailed, though the project focuses on providing policy-relevant recommendations and guidelines.
The tools are designed to help meet the global goal of protecting 30% of marine areas by 2030, including 10% under strict protection.
It provides a step-by-step structure with defined stages, tasks, and a compliance checklist for real-world implementation.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research and academia, with 9 research institutes and 5 universities. However, it includes 17 partners across 11 countries, providing a broad geographic data set. The industry presence is low at 6% (1 company), suggesting the output is currently more of a regulatory and scientific tool than a commercial product.
Contact the Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut in Germany
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