Natureship (Integrated planning and management in the Baltic Sea Region)

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Sustainable and balanced planning, management and utilisation of coastal areas and key areas of biodiversity and water protection is a crucial challenge in the CB-area. Different sectors are executing various plans but interdisciplinary cross-sector and cross-border approaches and comparison of scenarios are almost missing. It requires effort to identify and enhance ecosystem services that coastal and key sites produce. Exchange of knowledge and practical experiences in ongoing coastal planning need to be intensified. Project has separate administrative WP1. In WP2 is aimed to execute innovative practical plans giving land use recommendations on selected coastlines and key areas in SW Finland, Estonia and Gotland Sweden. In the end shall be made comparison of different approaches to gain synthesis (publication) of best possible kind of integrated participatory planning (water protection, recreation, biodiversity, utilization) and valuation of ecosystem services. Exchange of knowledge and comparison of best practices is in focus. In new kind of syntheses novel integrated planning and coastal zone management and valuation of ecosystem services are presented (also in publications). Furthermore project tests in WP3 how to estimate public values of traditional rural biotopes and green areas in city sector. Project tests methods how to use historical and landscape data to identify ecologically functioning networks of important areas that need restoration and special measures via Agri-Environment programmes. Historical data shall also be analysed, utilized and applied in management plans of Archipelago National park. In identified and selected biotope areas different management methods are also tested in practice in order to find out cost-effective way to produce maximal public values (recreation, healthy environment), biodiversity and water protection result (city meadows, coastal management). Gained synthesis of WPs can be applied in General Planning. Practical land use recommendations can be implemented by Agri-Environment Programmes of each country concerned. The project creates cooperation between e.g. nature conservation and city green sector and gives recommendation for both novel coastal planning and city green planning. Project shall also aim that the concept shall be widely understood and accepted in the regional Central Baltic level. Project uses "ecosystem approach" to link work packages together and presents results in the ”Central Baltic Book Serie after careful peer cross-sector overviews and seminars”. The WPs are also tightly connected via land use/historical analyses of Turku university. Project shall prepare 6 high quality publications, one in English and rest in all 3 languages and hold 8 seminars/mini-seminars. Project shall create internet pages in the website of Finland’s environmental administration pages.

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