A Horizon Europe project “Enabling comprehensive effective and efficient protection and restoration measures for a resilient Baltic Sea ecosystem” (PROTECT BALTIC).
Funded by: European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme.
Grant agreement number: 101112866.
Project implementation time: 09.2023-09.2028.
AKTiiVS is among the partners of a consortium, consisting of 17 partners, for implementing the PROTECT BALTIC project.
The project will develop and implement a Protection Optimization Framework – a holistic transboundary decision support package for identifying marine biodiversity protection and restoration targets and developing a shared approach for the spatial protection and restoration. The Protection Optimization Framework will include novel Baltic-wide state of the art algorithms and decision support tools for environmental and habitat modelling, ecosystem services identification, quantification and valuation, protection coherence assessment, Marine Protected Areas management effectiveness assessment, strategic area designation and measures prioritization, and ocean literacy. The Framework will provide the infrastructure, support and capacity for the countries around the Baltic Sea to strategically extend and optimise spatial protection efforts with an ultimate aim – securing positive marine biodiversity outcomes through protecting biodiversity and the associated ecosystem functions and services.
The project includes a dedicated work package on the assessment and valuation of the marine ecosystem services. The role of AKTiiVS is to develop further the sea region socio-economic assessment of the ecosystem services within the integrated assessment methodology and the tool for identification, mapping, quantification and valuation of the marine ecosystem services.