MSP4BIO closed its final chapter in Venice, with MEDIGREEN adding a strong Mediterranean angle to the discussions
The final event of the MSP4BIO project took place in Venice from 2 to 4 July 2025, as part of the Blue Week programme. The gathering brought together professionals and institutions working on maritime spatial planning (MSP), marine biodiversity protection, coastal governance, and policy development to reflect on the project’s achievements and discuss future directions for biodiversity-inclusive MSP across Europe.
Throughout three days of discussions, interactive sessions, and knowledge exchange, project partners presented the full suite of MSP4BIO outputs, including the Ecological-Socio-Economic (ESE) Management Framework and its accompanying tools aimed at strengthening the integration of ecological, social, and economic considerations within MSP processes. Special attention was given to the practical application of these solutions across the project’s six test sites, demonstrating how the framework can support planning that fully accounts for marine biodiversity needs.
The event also served as an opportunity to validate the project’s key results and explore strategies for upscaling them within relevant policy processes. Participants highlighted the importance of maintaining strong cooperation between MSP practitioners, marine protected area managers, scientists, and policy actors to ensure coherent and nature-inclusive approaches in forthcoming planning cycles, including in the context of upcoming revisions of the EU MSP Directive and other regional initiatives.
As part of the programme, the documentary Cadiz Real Faces was screened, offering an artistic and human-centred reflection on the relationship between coastal communities and the marine environment.
The final day focused on identifying pathways to sustain the project’s impact beyond its lifetime, with particular emphasis on integrating MSP4BIO outputs into ongoing and future initiatives within the European MSP community.
Explore the project outputs at www.msp4bio.com.
