This report presents the participatory processes implemented across six European pilot sites under the MSP4BIO project, which aimed to integrate biodiversity considerations into Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). Communities of Practice (CoPs) were established at each site to co-develop, test, and validate an integrated Ecological-Socio-Economic (ESE) management framework. CoPs contributed to identifying local management priorities, assessing ecosystem services, evaluating trade-offs among uses, and co-designing decision support tools. The report highlights the diversity of local contexts, engagement methods, and dynamics generated. It emphasizes the need for flexible participation formats, strong alignment with official planning processes, and the delivery of tangible outputs (e.g., maps, interactive tools) to ensure local ownership. Lessons learned show the potential of the ESE framework to support marine biodiversity protection and restoration policies, while fostering sustained stakeholder involvement in planning processes.
Alloncle et al. (Thu,) studied this question.